John Francis Moynihan, a former employee of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), submitted an expansive, 118-page complaint through his attorney to Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz, detailing numerous allegations of criminal activity allegedly committed by Smith prior to his appointment as the special prosecutor in two cases against former President Donald Trump. The document is an official sworn statement provided to the DOJ under penalty of perjury. Moynihan informs Horowitz that he has 35 years' experience investigating complex international money laundering cases, and continues to assist the DOJ and Treasury Department with ongoing cases, before outlining in the complaint a vast web of corruption overseen by Smith who allegedly abused the power of his office. Witnesses who provided sworn affidavits say that Smith ran “an alleged extortion ring set up within the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a European Union initiative ratified by Kosovo’s parliament in 2016 to prosecute war crimes." Smith is named as “an active participant in a scheme that extorted millions of dollars from wealthy individuals targeted for investigation and/or prosecution by the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO). Smith served as the Specialist Prosecutor from May 7, 2018, to November 18, 2022, at which time he was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to serve as the Special Counsel” to investigate Trump. Evidence provided to the Inspector General’s Office includes recorded interviews and various written communications, including text messages. Among the key players named in the affidavits accompanying the whistleblower complaint are:A new whistleblower filing alleges that Special Counsel Jack Smith, while working at the International Court of Justice, spent years running an overseas extortion ring targeting wealthy and high-profile public officials.
“The affidavits paint an elaborate picture of an alleged extortion scheme where those who committed war crimes were able to pay prosecutors at the SPO for a get out of jail free card,” Moynihan specifies in the document. “Other alleged extortion schemes involved simply finding wealthy individuals who were not accused of any war crimes and requiring them to pay to keep their names off the list as war criminals.” Moynihan presents the IG’s office with information obtained from a long-time confidential informant who provided it to a DEA colleague who conducted money laundering investigations throughout Europe. An affidavit filed by Edlira Qefalija, a well-known journalist in Kosovo, says she has personal knowledge of instances where the SPO allegedly extorted individuals in exchange for special treatment. A separate affidavit alleges that Smith was involved in extorting Russian oligarchs to get (or keep) them off U.S. sanctions list. The oligarchs were told they would have to sign a contract to work for the CIA, provide information about Russian President Vladimir Putin, and pay money into a “black fund” for operational expenses. Smith also reportedly questioned a wealthy Spanish businessman named Halit Sahitaj over whether Potanin was “still in possession of evidence of corruption by Hillary Clinton” and if that evidence was shared with anyone in the Secret Service. The complaint also details a scheme whereby Smith allegedly agreed to refrain from indicting Montenegro President Milo Đukanović and Montenegro Police Commander Zoran Lazovic in exchange for a payment of $100 million. “In conclusion, finding myself in possession of these serious allegations and being unable to investigate or corroborate them further, I bring this information to your attention because your office has access to the information, the ability to obtain additional information, and the authority to investigate this matter,” Moynihan told the inspector general.
