Before he was an MP, Nigel Farage was reportedly gifted staff, security and other benefits from George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster involved in a crypto casino.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reportedly accepted gifts that he did not publicly disclose from a crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraud in the US, according to The Sunday Times.
The news outlet reported on Saturday that Farage was gifted staff, security, transport and accommodation by George Cottrell, an aristocrat involved in an offshore crypto casino who has been a close adviser to Farage for more than 10 years.
Farage said in a statement on Sunday that he “followed the rules” over the gifts from Cottrell, which he received before he was elected a member of parliament in July 2024, and called The Times’ report a “hit job.”
It is the second time Farage has faced reports of undeclared gifts from wealthy figures tied to crypto, an industry he has advocated for while in parliament that is facing increasing regulatory scrutiny, with the Treasury having temporarily banned political donations made in cryptocurrencies in March.
A parliamentary standards watchdog opened an inquiry in May over whether Farage failed to declare a 5 million British pounds ($6.7 million) gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, who partly owns stablecoin giant Tether.
Nigel Farage appears at the Bitcoin 2025 conference holding his party’s draft crypto legislation. Source: Gage Skidmore
Farage has argued he does not need to declare Harborne’s gift, as it was given to him to pay for personal security before he was an MP.
The Sunday Times reported that Cottrell, who is involved in a gambling site called Tether.bet that uses the Tether (USDt) stablecoin, provided Farage with drivers and security made up primarily of former soldiers.
Cottrell also reportedly recruited and paid for three staff members to help with the Reform leader’s social media and, since the election, has let Farage use a rented five-story house near Buckingham Palace. A Reform source told The Times that Farage almost always stayed at his own home and did not routinely use the property.
Farage registered only one benefit from Cottrell upon entering Parliament, a benefit of less than 9,300 British pounds ($12,400) for travel, security and accommodation to attend an event in Belgium.
In 2016, Cottrell was arrested and charged in the US with 21 offenses for his role in a money laundering plot. He pleaded guilty to a single wire fraud charge after a plea deal and spent eight months in prison.
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