Douglas Edelman

Money laundering, fraud, tax evasion

Edelman is accused of evading taxes on over $350 million in income earned from $7 billion of US military contracts for jet fuel during post-9/11 operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Edelman allegedly used offshore companies and bank accounts in jurisdictions including the BVI to conceal his income and assets, often placing them in his wife’s name to avoid detection by U.S. authorities. One of these BVI-based companies, Satellite Support Services Limited, was specifically named in the indictment and used to hide assets and launder income from the contracts.

Edelman and his wife, Delphine Le Dain, face charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States, 15 counts of tax evasion, and additional counts for filing false tax returns and violating foreign bank account reporting laws. Prosecutors claim Edelman used the concealed funds to purchase luxury assets such as yachts, a ski chalet in Austria, and a $43 million mansion in London.

Edelman was arrested in Ibiza in 2024, he returned to the US and initially pleaded not guilty. During the hearings, he was detained for violating release conditions by contacting a co-conspirator about his investments allegedly held by trusts in BVI.

In May 2025, Edelman pleaded guilty to 10 of the 30 charges against him and sentencing has been scheduled for November 2025. After sentencing, prosectors will decide whether to take the outstanding charges to trial.