Legal Intelligence

FBI Seized Phones of Guggenheim Executives Amid Federal Investigation

The timing of device seizures, months before a $12.5 billion Lakers franchise sale closed, raises questions about whether the investigation will affect deal participants or transaction approvals.

The Congressional Times · August 14, 2026

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents seized the phones of Guggenheim Investments Chairman Mark Walter and Guggenheim Investments President Dina DiLorenzo in September 2024, according to reporting by the Financial Times citing people familiar with the matter. Walter's laptop was also taken in the same operation. The seizures occurred as federal prosecutors examined businesses within Walter's financial holdings, the Financial Times reported. The scope of the specific allegations under investigation has not been confirmed in any publicly available court filing as of this publication date.

The device seizures preceded by several months a reported $12.5 billion agreement to transfer ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA franchise. The buyers identified in the transaction are Josh Kushner, founder of Thrive Capital, and Bob Iger, the former and current chief executive of The Walt Disney Company, according to reporting by the New York Post citing deal sources. The precise closing date, contractual structure, and any contingency clauses of the transaction have not been entered into a publicly available record reviewed by The Congressional Times.

NBA franchise sales require a formal approval vote by the league's Board of Governors, which reviews the financial background of prospective owners. That review process and its current status are not documented in any public filing available to this publication. Whether the federal investigation into Walter or DiLorenzo has been disclosed to the NBA as part of that review is unknown. A league spokesperson statement or Board of Governors resolution would be the public record that could answer that question.

Guggenheim Investments manages assets across fixed income, equity, and alternative strategies and is a registered investment adviser subject to Securities and Exchange Commission oversight. SEC Investment Adviser registration filings for Guggenheim Partners Investment Management are publicly available through the SEC's IAPD database. Any formal charges, indictments, or plea agreements stemming from the federal investigation would be filed in US District Court and would constitute the primary public record of specific allegations. No such filings have been confirmed as of August 14, 2026.

What remains unknown is the precise legal theory federal prosecutors are pursuing, whether a grand jury has been empaneled, and whether either Walter or DiLorenzo has been formally notified of target or subject status. The document that would answer those questions is a federal grand jury indictment or a publicly filed criminal information, neither of which has been confirmed. The Congressional Times will update this report if such a filing becomes available.

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