The Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) has launched an investigation into potential campaign finance violations related to an undercover operation in Wyoming, which targeted progressive groups, political campaigns, and elected representatives ahead of the 2020 election. According to sources with knowledge of the matter and related documents, the operation involved infiltrating these entities, using donations and cover stories to access targets, and gaining information to harm individuals and organizations opposing former President Donald J. Trump’s agenda. The F.B.I. and prosecutors have issued subpoenas for information regarding individuals involved in the operation, including Richard Seddon, a former British spy, and Susan Gore, a Wyoming heiress, who financed the operation. The authorities are seeking communication, documents or financial records linked to Erik Prince, an international security consultant, and former operatives who worked for Project Veritas, a conservative group that conducts undercover sting operations. Two operatives working for Mr. Seddon made several large political donations, including $20,000 to the Democratic National Committee, which granted them access to a Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas in 2020. It is illegal under federal law to make campaign donations reimbursed by another, called “straw donations.” The operation began in 2018 when several former employees of Project Veritas moved to Wyoming to participate in Mr. Seddon’s new venture, which aimed to infiltrate progressive groups and elected officials’ offices and collect information. The spying ring targeted Karlee Provenza, a police reform advocate, who won a seat in the Wyoming Legislature representing one of the few Democratic districts in the state. The F.B.I. investigation follows the revelation of the operation by The New York Times in 2021.
