The FBI on Friday raided the home and office of Michael Esposito, a Washington lobbyist accused of lying about close ties to President Donald Trump in order to score lucrative contracts for his firm, according to a report by The Washington Post.
During the early morning raid at Esposito's home in Sterling, Virginia, investigators sought evidence of possible financial fraud, according to sources who spoke to The Post on condition of anonymity.
Credit: via Twitter
Credit: via Twitter
Esposito came on the public radar late last year after the White House publicly denied his claims about open access to the Trump family and administration.
Esposito tried to gain a foothold among the Trump bureaucracy and began making the dubious claims just as the new administration took the helm after the 2016 election, according to reports.
In November 2019, however, Trump disavowed Esposito and warned his allies after a report by The Washington Post revealed Esposito had been telling prospective clients that he had a close relationship with the president and his family.
“Some of those very people, however, told The Post that Esposito’s claims are greatly embellished — or simply not true," the newspaper wrote in the November report.
“I don’t know, to the best of my knowledge, a man named Michael Esposito,” Trump tweeted at the time, refuting Esposito’s claims. “I don’t like him using my name to build his consulting company, or whatever. Please advise his clients and Administration officials accordingly."
Esposito's firm, Federal Advocates, was also raided Friday.
The Post reported the firm grew exponentially during the last several years, making $4.66 million in 2018, which was $1.41 million more than it made in 2017, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, and $3.75 million more than it contracted in 2016.
One of the firm's most profitable U.S. municipal clients was Polk County, Iowa, which had been paying the firm $60,000 a month based on Esposito's claim of knowing the president, The Post reported.
“No county our size pays that much," Supervisor Matt McCoy told The Post. "I think they were clearly lying to us and misrepresenting things, which puts us in a terrible position.”
Some clients of Federal Advocates told The Post that they were reassessing their contracts with Esposito's firm.
About the Author
