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A federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York is now investigating Neville Roy Singham, the tech entrepreneur behind Thoughtworks, over allegations of money laundering, wire fraud, and bank fraud. The probe centers on an estimated $278 million that has flowed through a web of shell companies and donor-advised funds since 2017.
No criminal charges have been filed. But the investigation marks a significant escalation from the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) scrutiny that has followed Singham since at least 2023, moving the inquiry squarely into the territory of financial crimes.
The money trail
Singham sold Thoughtworks in 2017 and subsequently relocated to Shanghai. He previously consulted for Huawei between 2001 and 2008. The combination of a massive liquidity event, a move to China, and a sprawling nonprofit funding apparatus has apparently caught the attention of federal prosecutors.
Key recipients of the funds include The People’s Forum, an activist organization that received between $20 million and $22.5 million. Code Pink, co-founded by Singham’s wife Jodie Evans, received approximately $1.33 million. Both organizations have faced questions about their alignment with messaging favorable to the Chinese Communist Party.
From FARA to fraud
Congressional probes into the funding of protests and political activism were initiated between 2023 and 2025, with lawmakers focused primarily on whether Singham’s network was operating as an unregistered foreign agent.
FARA requires individuals acting on behalf of foreign governments or political entities to register with the DOJ. The shift to a grand jury investigation examining wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering suggests prosecutors believe the conduct may go well beyond a failure to file registration paperwork.
The SDNY is handling the case. The office has a track record of pursuing complex financial crime cases involving international actors, from insider trading rings to sanctions evasion schemes.
The broader context
The investigation has already drawn attention from political commentators. Far-left influencer Hasan Piker has publicly acknowledged the significance of the funding apparatus for political causes.
The fact that Singham physically relocated to Shanghai after selling his company adds a complication that prosecutors in similar cases rarely face. International cooperation in financial investigations is always tricky, and China is not exactly known for enthusiastic collaboration with US law enforcement requests.
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