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How the suspected criminal network infiltrated the billion-dollar "Aman" empire

2026-05-30 12:41:08Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
How the suspected criminal network infiltrated the billion-dollar
Benjamin Mauerberger

As law enforcement closes in on Benjamin Mauerberger's fraud ring, luxury hotel brand Aman faces an internal boardroom crisis, with high-level shareholders demanding to know how a global fugitive laundered proceeds from "pig-butchering" schemes within a $3 billion portfolio.

Last month, Whale Hunting exclusively reported how Benjamin Mauerberger, a global money laundering figure, had infiltrated the Aman Group, one of the world’s most luxurious hotel chains. According to the report, companies linked to Mauerberger had invested in the Janu Dubai, a $1.5 billion hotel in the heart of Dubai’s financial district, as well as other Aman projects.

Following these reports, Aman has put the Dubai project on the back burner as it faces mounting pressure, including tough questions from alarmed shareholders and a global criminal investigation stretching to Singapore, Thailand and the US.

For Aman, who is involved in some of the largest hotel projects in the US in Beverly Hills and Miami Beach, the relationship with Mauerberger is considered toxic. He is wanted in Thailand for laundering billions of dollars from scams, drug trafficking and human trafficking.

Mauerberger's network has stolen billions from Americans and laundered the money through Tether and other cryptocurrencies. The victims are American teenagers who commit suicide after being blackmailed, or retirees who lose their life savings. Even those who work in these schemes in Southeast Asia are victims, forced to work up to 17 hours a day under the threat of torture and rape by the Chinese mafia.

Following the Whale Hunting report, minority shareholders in Amman, including the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and Cain International, are demanding an explanation for how this dirty money got into a brand valued at $3 billion. As authorities close in on Mauerberger, who is now on the run, an internal crisis is brewing on board.

Mauerberger Connection
Mauerberger entered Aman's orbit by purchasing two entire floors of Aman Nai Lert, a luxury residence in Bangkok, in 2023. He was generating huge profits from scam factories in Cambodia, and these large luxury purchases put him on the radar of Vladislav Doronin, Aman's owner and CEO.

Doronin took control of Aman ten years ago after a bitter battle with founder Adrian Zecha. Aman became famous for its “Amanjunkie” cult — ultra-wealthy clients and celebrities like Bill Gates and the Kardashian family, drawn to the brand’s extreme privacy. Many of the hotels were located in secluded parts of Asia, such as Java and Phuket.

Born in the Soviet Union and later based in Switzerland, Doronin expanded Aman to major cities like Tokyo and New York. During the expansion, he was embroiled in fierce legal battles. In early 2022, his American subsidiary OKO Group bought a plot of land on Aspen Mountain for $76.25 million — a steep price for land that had cost just $10 million a few months earlier.

Local newspaper The Aspen Times began an investigation, publishing articles describing Doronin as a “Russian oligarch” and questioning the source of his wealth after the invasion of Ukraine. Doronin responded with a defamation lawsuit in April 2022, arguing that he is a naturalized Swedish citizen and had not lived in Russia for decades.

The lawsuit effectively silenced the newspaper, leading to self-censorship and the dismissal of its editor. On April 14, 2022, the day after the lawsuit, Doronin transferred his 33% stake in Capital Group to his mother. He had declared that he had no business interests in Russia since 2014, while his legal team said the transfer was made to comply with Russian rules on foreign ownership.

Doronin's personal life has been equally turbulent, especially his relationship with Naomi Campbell. The couple were together from 2008 to 2013, but Doronin later sued the supermodel for the return of property and unpaid loans worth over $3 million, sparking an international legal battle.

As Aman expanded, Doronin's strategy shifted from operating hotels to owning real estate. The flagship project was Aman New York, a $1.65 billion development in the historic Crown Building on Fifth Avenue. The project faced financial pressures and delays from the pandemic, requiring complex capital structures to complete.

Jonathan Goldstein and Cain International — the firm co-founded by Goldstein and Chelsea FC owner Todd Boehly — stepped in with hundreds of millions in financing to save the project. Cain then backed several projects in Miami and took over the helm of One Beverly Hills, a $4.3 billion project.

In 2022, Cain and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) invested $900 million in Aman, valuing the brand at $3 billion.

It was only after Aman New York became Manhattan’s most exclusive address that Mauerberger’s involvement in the Crown Building increased. In early 2024, he bought an apartment for $21 million through a shell company linked to his wife, Cattaliya Beevor. The seller was Vladislav Doronin himself.

At this stage, Mauerberger transitioned from luxury buyer to shadow investor, seeking to put his dubious earnings at the heart of the brand's global portfolio.

Aman’s expansion: Dubai fixer
Mauerberger traveled to Phuket with Doron to look at a potential site for a Janu hotel — a new, more dynamic brand within Aman. He had previously purchased land in Phang-Nga, and the two explored a joint development. Although the deal didn’t go through, the trip established him as more than a guest: now an equal partner in exploring new territory.

When the focus shifted to the Middle East, entering Dubai required a special network. To integrate into the emirate's financial and elite circles, Mauerberger relied on George Azar, head of Sotheby's International Realty in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

Azar operates between traditional prestige and new capital. While promoting the most expensive apartments in Dubai, he faced pressure in the United Kingdom, where his businesses were in financial trouble and facing bankruptcy proceedings.

According to sources, Azar personally introduced Mauerberger to H&H Development, one of the most state-linked developers in Dubai, co-founded by Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini, the Emirati finance minister. In this context, H&H is considered a powerful player in the system.

With Azar as his intermediary, Mauerberger went from being a client of Aman to a secret developer of one of the largest projects: Janu Dubai, a $1.5 billion project in the city's financial district, with a hotel, residences and an office tower.

As the Herzog & de Meuron-designed tower rose, a complex financial structure was also built to hide his name. Capital Asia Investments (CAI), his Singapore-based company, became an investor in the project through a VCC fund that allows for anonymity of shareholders. This structure guaranteed him complete secrecy.

Later, as risks increased, the fund sold its stake to a company in the British Virgin Islands called Global Alia Holdings.

The project's opening and Bloomberg's reaction
On February 11, 2026, the Middle Eastern elite gathered at the Dubai International Financial Center for the opening of Janu Dubai, with DJs and artistic performances. At the same time, H&H CEO Shahab Lutfi gave an interview to Bloomberg, where he stated that the office tower had been pre-sold.

He also revealed that the hotel had been sold to an unnamed "Asian investment fund," raising suspicions that it was another structure linked to Mauerberger.

Panic among Aman shareholders
Just days after the event, Whale Hunting published the report on Mauerberger's involvement. Singapore authorities arrested two CAI directors and seized $124 million.

Meanwhile, Thai courts issued arrest warrants for Mauerberger and his wife. He had left Thailand in October 2025 and was living in Dubai, moving between hotels, while his $100 million yacht was still in emirate waters. He later left Dubai as well.

These developments alarmed major shareholders such as PIF and Cain International, which together own about 30% of Aman. PIF sought explanations from Aman's legal advisors, while Cain sent requests for clarification on ownership structures in Dubai, the Maldives and Japan.

Today, questions remain about Mauerberger's possible involvement in other Aman projects, including Niseko in Japan and the resort in the Maldives, where he reportedly also attempted to secure a passport through various structures.

As the investigation progresses, Aman Group faces the obligation to explain how its global expansion is linked to an international criminal network./  Whale hunting

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