A co-founder of the prominent Wall Street trading firm Jane Street says he was deceived into funding an alleged conspiracy to illegally export military weapons to topple South Sudan’s government, according to federal court documents.
Robert Granieri, who helped build Jane Street into a major market-making firm, allegedly provided funding for what prosecutors say was a plot involving AK-47 rifles, Stinger missiles, and grenades. The case emerged in March 2024 when federal prosecutors in Arizona charged Harvard Fellow Peter Ajak and Abraham Keech with conspiring to illegally export arms.
“Granieri is a longtime supporter of human rights causes,” his lawyer said in a statement. “In this case, the person Rob thought was a human rights activist defrauded Rob and lied about his intentions.”
The conspiracy came to light when federal authorities discovered a weapons cache in a Phoenix warehouse. According to court filings, Granieri first met Ajak in February at a Manhattan condominium. The Harvard-educated Ajak had escaped life as a child soldier in Sudan in the 1990s and later became a prominent opposition activist before seeking asylum in the United States.
Prosecutors allege that after their meeting, Ajak sent an encrypted message to an undercover agent, writing: “We are getting the funding.” Court documents indicate Granieri subsequently provided $7 million through two separate payments.
The trading firm reported $20.5 billion in net trading revenue last year, placing it ahead of traditional Wall Street giants including Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. Despite the firm’s success, Granieri has maintained a low profile and is not featured on the company’s website.
Ajak had garnered support from notable figures, including chess champion Garry Kasparov, who connected him with Granieri through the Human Rights Foundation. “My record and my values are clear, and they remain unchanged,” Kasparov said in a statement.
The nation declared independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war, making it the world’s youngest country. South Sudan has struggled with ongoing instability since gaining sovereignty.
Attorneys for both Ajak and Keech have indicated they plan to pursue a “public authority” defense, essentially claiming that US officials had supported their plan. Prosecutors said Ajak was told by the State Department in October 2023 that it wouldn’t fund plans for non-democratic regime change.
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