This week, The New York Times‘ Karen Zraick reported on an extradition case involving a private investigator allegedly working on the behest of some high-profile, deep-pocketed clients. As the Times detailed, the investigator — one Amit Forlit — was approved for extradition by a court in the U.K., where he will face charges in New York connected to the hacking of multiple environmental groups.
Forlit’s legal team has said that he was working for ExxonMobil when he took the actions that attracted the attention of New York prosecutors. A spokesperson for the company denied knowledge of his actions in a statement to the Times, stating, “If there was any hacking involved, we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
In an investigation of the case for Air Mail, Rebecca John explored some of the more surprising elements of the case. This includes the fact that some of the people Forlit and his company are accused of targeting are the descendents of John D. Rockefeller — as in, the founder of Standard Oil, which gave rise to both Exxon and Mobil. John points to the Rockefeller Family Fund’s 2016 announcement that they were ending their investments in fossil fuel companies as a significant milestone here.
Did Humans Kill a Whale Accused of Espionage?
This whole saga is going to become a podcast, isn’t it?Precisely who knew what and at whose behest Forlit was working are details that will come out if a trial takes place. Air Mail reports that both ExxonMobil and the lobbying firm DCI Group have denied their involvement here; that said, NPR’s Michael Copley reported earlier this year that “the U.S. government has investigated DCI.” It’ll be a case to keep an eye on in the coming months.
More Like This
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
