Valentin Broeksmit, a federal informant and whistleblower who worked with the federal authorities to investigate ties between Deutsche Bank and former US President Donald Trump, was found dead at a Los Angeles school earlier this week, officials said on Wednesday.
The body of the 45-year-old was found around 6.40 am on Monday morning by the cleaning crew on the Woodrow Wilson High School campus. The cause of death was not known.
School police said that no video was available that shows him entering the campus and they were unsure about how long he had been there.
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Who was Valentin Broeksmit?
Valentin Broeksmit reportedly handed over hundreds of documents to the FBI in 2019 when the agency was investigating ties between the Deutsche Bank and Trump as well as other illegal activity by the German financial institution. The documents were reportedly left behind by his father, who was working for the bank.
According to a profile that was published in The New York Times the same year, Broeksmit had a history of drug abuse and wanted to become a famous whistleblower such as Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning.
“I am more emotionally invested in this than anyone in the world,” Broeksmit had said while speaking about why he handed over the documents to the FBI following his father’s death. “I would love to be their special informer.”
Broeksmit was reported missing in April 2021. He was last seen driving a red Mini Cooper in Griffith Park on Riverside Drive. His Twitter account, however, remained active. His friends and journalists claimed to stay in touch with him during his disappearance. Among them was Forensic News investigative journalist Scott Stedman who said that he last spoke with Broeksmit in January this year.
Stedman tweeted that Broeksmit had given him “Deutsche Bank documents that highlighted the bank’s deep Russia connections.”
“It is very sad. I don’t suspect foul play. Val struggled with drugs on and off. Waiting on further info.”
