CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A money laundering case with a Charlotte-based entrepreneur at the center of it saw a new turn in court earlier this month when more than a million dollars in cash seized during the investigation was defaulted to the government.
Court filings show nearly $1.2 million seized during the inquiry involving James Whitner Jr. was seized during a search at the North Bergen, New Jersey home of Antwain Freeman in August 2021. Freeman is a friend and associate of Whitner who is named publicly in the filings.
Documents reviewed by WCNC Charlotte, available publicly from the Western District of North Carolina via the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system (PACER), revealed the cash was formally forfeited on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. Filing records showed the government had reached out to Whitner in 2023 to see if he would claim the money. Whitner’s attorneys did get the deadline to file for reclamation moved back four times, but Whitner did not reclaim the money by a final Sept. 13, 2024 deadline…