Matthew Whitaker Boasted Of Israeli Krav Maga Security To Scare Scam Victims

Matt Whitaker Image by Getty Images

By Alyssa Fisher November 12, 2018

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker would use intimidation tactics in his former job, letting angry investors know that the company has a security team trained in Krav Maga, Vanity Fair reported.

Whitaker, who was appointed attorney general by President Trump this week after firing Jeff Sessions, worked in 2014 on the advisory board of World Patent Marketing, which Vanity Fair describes as a company that swindled investors out of money they assumed was paying for patents and licensing deals. It has been shut down by the Federal Trade Commission.

His role involved intimidating people who caught on to the scheme, according to emails filed by the FTC. One email sent to frustrated customers suggested that they should keep quiet, or else he’d have to involve former Israel Defense soldiers.

The FTC complaint read that the company created “a threatening atmosphere” by sending emails to the duped customers about the company’s “security team” of “all ex-Israeli Special Ops and trained in Krav Maga, one of the most deadly of the martial arts.” The email described the World Patent Marketing Security Team as “the kind of guys who are trained to knockout first and ask questions later.”

These emails were in response to customers who asked about their products, which were supposed to be patented and promoted, Vanity Fair reported. But instead, they lost millions.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

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