Conservative activist Jacob Wohl charged with illegal sale of securities

Jacob Wohl, a conservative activist who once attempted to smear special counsel Robert Mueller with false sexual assault allegations, was charged in California for the illegal sale of securities.

Wohl allegedly tried to sell unqualified securities in July and August of 2016, according to a criminal complaint filed against him on August 19. The disgraced hedge fund manager turned pro-Trump conspiracy theorist was charged along with his former business partner, Matthew Johnson.

The Daily Beast, which first broke the story, reported the allegation stems from securities sold for one of Wohl’s financial companies, Montgomery Assets. Prosecutors had to file by the end of last month if they wanted to pursue charges due to a three-year statute of limitations, according to The Daily Beast.

A judge issued warrants for both men on August 19, but Wohl has not yet been arrested, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

Wohl told NBC News that the warrant was recalled and he had no further comment.

A spokesman for the district attorney’s office confirmed to NBC News that Wohl appeared in court Wednesday and was released on his own recognizance. The warrant was recalled as a result of his appearance and he is next due in court on Oct. 24.

The complaint, obtained by NBC News Wednesday, did not specify what company the securities were associated with.

Wohl came under intense scrutiny in October last year when he claimed an unaffiliated intelligence firm had proof that Mueller had sexually assaulted an unnamed woman. The phone number for the intelligence firm was registered to Wohl’s mother.

The intelligence firm’s document attempting to prove the allegations was riddled with inaccuracies, and Wohl never produced the accuser.

He was in the spotlight again in February when Twitter suspended him for operating a ring of fake accounts.

Wohl operated @Women_4_Schultz, which posed as a supporter of former Starbucks CEO and presidential hopeful Howard Schultz. He also operated two other banned Twitter accounts, according to a source familiar with the accounts who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Wohl’s “account was suspended for multiple violations of the Twitter rules, specifically creating and operating fake accounts,” Twitter said NBC News in a statement at the time.

source: nbcnews.com