chairman of the Hong Kong-listed Frontier Services Group Ltd. [63][73], Other Republican politicians that Prince has contributed to include Ron Paul, Walter Jones, Joe Miller, Todd Tiarht, Mike Pence, Dana Rohrabacher, Oliver North, Pat Buchanan, Jim DeMint, Tom Coburn, Duncan L. Hunter, Ted Poe, Jon Kyl, Pete Hoekstra, and Mitt Romney. The Chinese company now owns 26 percent of FSG. An FSG spokesman said that the company’s statement was published in error by a staff member in Beijing. [70] He has also donated to the Family Research Council,[71] a beneficiary of the Prince and DeVos families since the 1980s. Even as China’s economic growth slows, it will still demand “more and more energy and natural resources and places for their products to go.”. [44] Prince had stated in his November 2017 testimony to the House Intelligence Committee that he had no formal communications or contact, nor any unofficial role, with the Trump campaign. Prince hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing, and testified to lawmakers that he wasn’t representing the Trump campaign. He credits the SEALs for being an outlet for his entrepreneurial spirit. Xinjiang has appeared in FSG’s company filings since it unveiled plans in 2016 for a "forward operating base" there to serve businesses in surrounding countries. [81], American businessman and former Navy SEAL (born 1969), Not to be confused with the English footballer, Early life, education, and military service, Disclosure as part of a covert CIA task force, Private security for the United Arab Emirates, Political infiltration operations allegations, Proposed cooperation with the Wagner group, Contributions to political and charitable causes. Prince denied in his November 2017 House Intelligence Committee testimony that he had represented the Trump transition or that the meeting involved any back-channel. Prince wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal in 2017 that called for a viceroy to run a privatized war in Afghanistan, and referenced the colonial-era East India Company. Although Prince characterized a second meeting between him and Dmitriev in a hotel bar as a chance encounter of no consequence, the meeting was actually pre-arranged after Prince had learned from calls back home that Russia had moved an aircraft carrier off Libya and he wanted to convey that the United States would not accept any Russian involvement in Libya. The statement, made in Chinese, was subsequently removed from the firm’s website. [79] They had four children. His task was to assemble an 800-member troop of foreign troops for the U.A.E., which was planned months before the Arab Spring. Some think that government can solve society's problems. Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, has a new project", "South Sudan Chaos Halts Prince's Plan for Oil Refinery", "DVN shares surge as former Blackwater owner named chairman", "Beyond Blackwater: Prince looks to resources in Africa", "Erik Prince Offered Lethal Services to Sanctioned Russian Mercenary Firm Wagner", "Blackwater Founder Prince Now Working With China", "South Sudan Hires Ex-Blackwater Chief to Restore War-Damaged Oil Facilities", "State denies American company aviation licence", "Blackwater founder Erik Prince: Combative, secretive and expanding in Africa", "Kenya refuses to renew Blackwater founder's Kijipwa Aviation ASL", "Report: Blackwater CEO Tried to Sell Armed Planes to South Sudan", "Echo Papa Exposed: Inside Erik Prince's Treacherous Drive to Build a Private Air Force", "Trump Jr. and Other Aides Met With Gulf Emissary Offering Help to Win Election", "Did Blackwater's Erik Prince Lie to Congress About a Trump Tower Meeting? The Washington Post had reported on April 3, 2017, that American, European and Arab officials said the Seychelles meeting was "part of an apparent effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald Trump." In December, CITIC’s Chang replaced Prince as chairman. At the time of their marriage, she was known by her maiden name, Elsa Zwiep. for possible prosecution", "DOJ reviews allegation that Erik Prince misled Congress in Russia probe", "Erik Prince Recruits Ex-Spies to Help Infiltrate Liberal Groups", "Erik Prince recruited former spies to infiltrate Democratic campaigns and liberal groups: report", "Blackwater founder Erik Prince goes to war against a former business partner", "Blackwater's Erik Prince Moves to Abu Dhabi", "Testimony Lifts Veil on Blackwater Boss", "Grilled Blackwater chairman a major GOP donor", "History of Family Research Council: Rolling Up the Sleeves", "Blackwater Founder Erik Prince, Who Got Rich Off Of Iraq, Now Backs 'Anti-War' Donald Trump", "Individual Contributions Arranged By Type, Giver, Then Recipient", "Betsy DeVos Confirmed as Education Secretary; Pence Breaks Tie", "Scandal: Tycoon, Contractor, Soldier, Spy", "Blackwater founder takes aim at his critics in memoir", "Notorious Mercenary Erik Prince Is Advising Trump from the Shadows", "Blackwater founder cutting ties with company", Detailed public records of Prince's campaign contributions, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Erik_Prince&oldid=983317101, American expatriates in the United Arab Emirates, Private equity and venture capital investors, People associated with Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pending changes protected pages, Pages using infobox military person with embed, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from October 2020, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 13 October 2020, at 15:09. On Tuesday, among those testifying on Capitol Hill will be Erik Prince, the chairman and owner of Blackwater, as well as a series of State Department officials who … Several Americans who were brought in to get FSG off the ground have departed. [56][57] United States Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd confirmed on February 4, 2020, that the Department of Justice was opening an investigation into Prince. Once headed by Prince, Frontier Services Group is now stacked with Chinese investors and leadership, — With assistance by Venus Feng, and Chloe Whiteaker, U.S. Detects Rise in Russian, Iranian Hacks Before Elections, U.K. Set to Sign Japan Trade Deal as Brexit Talks Heat Up, NYC, Seattle and Portland Sue Trump on Funding Threat, Goldman Admits Role in Record $1.6 Billion 1MDB Bribe Spree. One possible clue: A CITIC unit published a Chinese-language version of Prince’s memoir. [14][15], Prince moved to Virginia Beach and personally financed the formation of Blackwater Worldwide in 1997. China is moving to project its money and influence by linking economies in Asia, Europe and Africa with power grids, highways and other strategic infrastructure. Allying with Prince contradicts Xi’s narrative of China as “a great power that does not go down the imperialist route,” said Sean Kenji Starrs, a political scientist at City University of Hong Kong. Leviathan realized. William Fallon, a retired four-star Navy admiral, and Gregg Smith, a former Marine who was an adviser for Blackwater, left after Ko and Luo presented plans at a 2016 board meeting to provide security to Chinese companies on the Belt and Road Initiative, according to a person familiar with the matter. He served as Blackwater's CEO until 2009, and as its chairman, until its sale to a group of investors in 2010. In an interview before the Xinjiang news broke, Prince dismissed concerns about his company’s work in China. Critics are unmoved. He went on to become a Navy SEAL and deployed with SEAL Team 8 to Haiti, the Middle East, and the Balkans. Prince’s push into China began in 2013, the same year President Xi Jinping unveiled a key plank of China’s foreign policy: the Belt and Road Initiative. [22] It became the largest of the State Department's three private security companies, providing 987 guards for embassies and bases abroad. The Chinese company now owns 26 percent of FSG. [42] One of the modified crop-dusters was delivered to Salva Kiir Mayardit's forces in South Sudan shortly before a contract with Frontier Services Group was cancelled. Prince testified to the House Intelligence Committee that “I didn't fly there to meet any Russian guy,” although the Mueller report found that he and Nader made significant preparations to meet Dmitriev. [21] From 2001 to 2010, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) awarded up to $600 million in classified contracts to Blackwater and its affiliates. Have a confidential tip for our reporters? [17] The name "Blackwater" comes from the peat-colored bogs in which the school is located. "[19], Prince, according to author Robert Young Pelton, reportedly thinks of Blackwater's relationship to the military as something similar to FedEx's relationship to the U.S. Post Office: "an efficient, privatized solution to sclerotic and wasteful government bureaucracy. But there he was in Beijing, bearing an unlikely gift for a man who might open China to a freelancer known for his band of private contractors. Erik Dean Prince (born June 6, 1969) is an American businessman, former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, and the founder of the private military company Blackwater USA, now[when?] heads the private equity firm Frontier Resource Group, and is[when?] "[13], Blackwater came under increasing criticism after the Nisour Square massacre in September 2007, in which Blackwater employees opened fire in a crowded square in Baghdad, killing 17 Iraqi civilians and seriously wounding 20 more. Nonetheless, FSG’s controversial business with the Chinese government has thrust Prince back into the spotlight. Prince, brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, has made no secret about his ambitions in China. He runs a private equity commodities firm called Frontier Resource Group, that’s raising $500 million to mine metals in Africa and Asia to provide materials for electric cars. Updates with company secretary confirming resignations of Fallon and Smith in 28th paragraph. I'm not a huge believer that government provides a whole lot of solutions. He pitched the idea to Johnson Ko, an investor whose boutique investment bank had caught the eye of Alibaba’s Jack Ma. He has said, "No one under our care was ever killed or injured. But since he became chairman of Frontier Services Group in Hong Kong five years ago, CITIC, his mainland benefactor, has slowly cemented its grip on the firm. Postal Service Vows to Live Up to Its Motto: Campaign Update. Erik Prince, Civilian Warriors, the Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror (2013). Prince is now one of three deputy chairmen, along with Ko and Luo Ning, a CITIC executive and graduate of the People’s Liberation Army Institute of Communication Command. Reports that Prince had pitched paramilitary services in Libya in 2016, which FSG denied any involvement in, had added to the tension. Still, there are risks. [86], Prince has seven children. Prince is no stranger to controversy. [7][8] During his time at Hillsdale, he served as a volunteer firefighter and as a cold-water diver for the Hillsdale County Sheriff's Department. The statement said CITIC unit executives were in attendance, as well as the political commissar of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, an economic group with paramilitary functions that manages more than a dozen cities in Xinjiang. [26], Prince is the younger brother of United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos,[76][77] and the brother-in-law of former Alticor (Amway) president Dick DeVos. "[66] Speaking of his internship, Prince said, "I saw a lot of things I didn't agree with--homosexual groups being invited in, the budget agreement, the Clean Air Act." called Academi. "[32], Prince currently heads a private equity firm called Frontier Resource Group and is chairman of Frontier Services Group Ltd, a Bermuda-incorporated logistics and transport company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

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