America's Singham, under lens in India over China propaganda, being probed in US now

Neville Roy Singham, the US-born tech millionaire based in China who was previously investigated in India over allegations of financing the media platform NewsClick to disseminate Chinese propaganda, is now facing a federal investigation in the US over allegations that he channelled hundreds of millions of dollars through a complex financial network to fund left-wing organisations, media outlets and activist groups.

According to a report by Fox News Digital, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a federal grand jury investigation in Manhattan into whether Singham's funding network violated US laws, including those relating to money laundering, wire fraud and bank fraud.

Singham, the son of Sri Lankan immigrants, founded the software consultancy Thoughtworks, which he sold to London-based private equity firm Apax Partners in 2017 for an estimated $785 million. This deal transformed him into one of the wealthiest figures in the global technology sector.

Since then, Singham has attracted growing scrutiny from authorities and lawmakers in multiple countries over allegations that he funnelled large portions of his fortune through an intricate network of nonprofits, shell companies and donor-advised funds to finance left-leaning activist organisations, media platforms and advocacy groups across the world, including in India.

WHY IS THE US DOJ INVESTIGATING SINGHAM?

According to Fox News Digital, the investigation—being conducted by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York—centres on the movement of roughly $278 million that allegedly flowed through donor-advised funds, shell companies and non-profit organisations.

Prosecutors are examining whether these transactions involved financial crimes such as money laundering, wire fraud, bank fraud or other violations of federal law.

Fox News Digital reported that a federal grand jury in Manhattan has issued subpoenas seeking bank records and other financial documents from organisations linked to Singham. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the news outlet said the investigation was authorised by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and is being overseen by the Southern District of New York under US Attorney Jay Clayton.

According to the report, funds originating from Singham's China-based network were routed through the GS Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund managed by Goldman Sachs, as well as two now-defunct shell companies, before being distributed to a network of nonprofits and activist organisations.

Among the groups identified in the report are The People's Forum, CodePink, Tricontinental, BreakThrough News and other organisations associated with socialist and Marxist activism.

Federal investigators are reportedly examining whether the movement of funds was structured to obscure their origin by routing them through multiple intermediary entities before ultimately financing political activism and media operations.

The investigation has also brought scrutiny into Goldman Sachs' donor-advised philanthropy programme. Fox News Digital reported that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon earlier this year to discuss the bank's administration of Singham's donor-advised fund and urged the bank to cooperate with investigators.

Goldman Sachs has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a company spokesperson said, "All distributions from Singham's donor-advised fund were made to legal nonprofits, as determined by the IRS." The bank added that no distributions had been made from the account since August 2023 and that the donor-advised fund was closed in early 2024.

SINGHAM FACED INTERNATIONAL SCRUTINY OVER ALLEGED CHINA LINKS

Long before the reported DOJ investigation, Neville Roy Singham had attracted international scrutiny over allegations that organisations linked to him promoted narratives aligned with the Chinese government's positions.

A 2023 investigation by The New York Times newspaper alleged that Singham built a worldwide network of nonprofits, media outlets and activist groups that blended progressive advocacy with messaging favourable to Beijing. The newspaper reported that Singham worked closely with China's state media ecosystem, although he has denied acting on behalf of the Chinese government or taking instructions from any political party.

According to The New York Times, Singham shares office space in Shanghai with the Maku Group, a Chinese media company whose stated mission is to "tell China's story well", a phrase frequently used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to describe its international messaging efforts.

The newspaper also reported that organisations linked to Singham, including Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Dongsheng News, No Cold War, The People's Forum and CodePink—worked with Chinese universities, state-linked media companies and other partners on projects aimed at "spreading China's voice to the world". It further reported that content produced by these organisations of Singham was frequently amplified by Chinese state media and often echoed Beijing's positions on issues such as Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Among the organisations linked to Singham was the India-based news portal NewsClick.

UAPA CHARGES STILL UNDER PROBE AGAINST SINGHAM AND NEWSCLICK

Following The New York Times investigation in 2023, the Delhi Police and the Enforcement Directorate alleged that NewsClick and its founder, Prabir Purkayastha, received foreign funds from Singham to promote pro-China narratives, criticise Indian government policies and undermine India's sovereignty, including by publishing disputed maps of Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh.

The case, filed by the Delhi Police Special Cell, included charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), with Singham named in the FIR and issued multiple summonses for questioning.

Singham and NewsClick denied the allegations, maintaining that the funding was legitimate and independent of the Chinese government.

In June this year, the Delhi High Court quashed the ED's money laundering proceedings against NewsClick and Purkayastha that had been ongoing since 2020, holding that the investigation was legally unsustainable. The separate UAPA case filed by the Delhi Police, however, remains pending.

SINGHAM'S IDEOLOGICAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE CCP

A separate investigation by Fox News Digital alleged that between 2017 and 2025, Singham's network moved around $591 million through 67 organisations across five continents, with roughly $278 million ultimately flowing to US-based groups. That alleged funding network is now at the centre of the reported DOJ investigation.

The Fox News investigation also highlighted Singham's ideological alignment with Beijing, citing a speech he delivered at the Global South Academic Forum in Shanghai in November 2025. In the speech, Singham praised what he described as a "new world order", criticised the United States as a "fascist" country and invoked Mao Zedong's concept of a "people's war".

Fox News further reported that investigators are examining Singham's ties to organisations linked to his wife, Jodie Evans, co-founder of CodePink, as well as possible connections between his broader funding network and entities associated with the Chinese Communist Party.

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS DEMAND END OF TAX-EXEMPT TO CODEPINK

Separately, The New York Post reported that several Republican lawmakers have called for CodePink, a registered non-profit organisation co-founded by Singham's wife Jodie Evens, to be stripped of its tax-exempt status over allegations that it received funding linked to China.

"For years, Roy Singham has abused the generous tax status awarded to tax-exempt organisations to fund left-wing chaos and violence in our country," President of the House Ways and Means Committee, the government body for tax writing in the US, Jason Smith, was quoted by The New York Post as saying.

"It's about time he (Singham) is brought to justice, and he (Singham) is held accountable for his ties to the CCP," the Republican lawmaker added.

The reported DOJ investigation remains at the grand jury stage, and no criminal charges have been filed against Singham. He has consistently denied acting on behalf of the Chinese government or directing funds to advance Beijing's interests.