FBI seized phones from billionaire, top deputy before $12.5B Lakers sale to Josh Kushner, Bob Iger: report

The FBI seized the phones of billionaire Mark Walter and a top Guggenheim Investments executive last year as federal prosecutors investigated businesses in his sprawling financial empire — months before he struck a $12.5 billion deal to sell the Los Angeles Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger.Agents took the phone of Guggenheim Investments President Dina DiLorenzo in September on the same day they seized Walter’s phone and laptop, according to the Financial Times, citing people familiar with the probe.The seizures indicate that federal scrutiny extended beyond Walter-controlled insurance companies — which previously disclosed subpoenas from the US attorney’s office in Manhattan and the Securities and Exchange Commission — and reached Guggenheim, the $260 billion asset-management giant Walter leads as chief executive.The news comes as authorities have been examining accounting and transactions involving businesses controlled by Walter, including Guggenheim and insurance companies he controls, according to reports.Prosecutors focused on Guggenheim Investments’ accounting for revenue tied to its private investments business, according to the FT.The report did not say Walter or DiLorenzo has been charged with wrongdoing, and said it was unclear what stage the investigations has reached.The Post has sought comment from Guggenheim Investments and the Justice Department.Asked about the seizure of DiLorenzo’s phone and scrutiny of Guggenheim Investments, the company told FT that auditors “have issued unqualified opinions” for the 2024 and 2025 consolidated financial statements of a subsidiary that owns Guggenheim Private Investments.DiLorenzo, who has worked at the company for more than two decades, helped establish its private investments business and rose through the firm with Walter as a key ally, according to current and former colleagues cited by the FT.She was named co-president in 2021 and eventually came to oversee Guggenheim’s investment arm.Wal...