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ALLEGED: Social Status money laundering scheme:

- Nike sneakers backdoored to China
- Chinese money couriers directed to collect money from Chinese prostitutes
- that money then deposited in US banks

Video via @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/nSVX7ctZ8q

— sockjig (@sockjig) November 21, 2023

Who is the owner of social status boutique?
Founded by James Whitner who also created streetwear retailer “Social Status” and “A Ma Maniére,” A.P.B. is an extension and evolution of the retail presence that these stores established.

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Enjoy these collabs with A Ma Maniere and Social Status because Nike about to cut ties https://t.co/D9lDRNy6va

— Conspiracy Nix (@ConspiracyNix) November 21, 2023

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Federal agents say Social Status and A Ma Maniere owner, James Whitner, is involved in an international multi-million dollar money laundering scheme 😳💸 (thread) pic.twitter.com/Dxuv6c7siN

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) November 21, 2023

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An explosive court document details an alleged scheme by sneaker store Social Status and owner James Whitner involving $32 million in sneaker resale money, $1.2 million hidden in USPS boxes, and Chinese nationals moving illegal crime proceeds.

STORY: https://t.co/mvJyH4BqfG pic.twitter.com/Uy0p5DIYQa

— brendandunne (@brendandunne) November 21, 2023

Welp

Soul Status here in Charlotte. He had a legit contract with Nike and did exactly what they told him not to do plus he was dodging taxes. You know how hard it is for an independent to get a contract and exclusives through Nike? He thought he was finna beat Nike and the IRS

Why these resellers walk away from $600 all because they want $605 or $610??

Walking away from $600 over $5 bucks

BreakkerSzn said 🔗 Why these resellers walk away from $600 all because they want $605 or $610?? Walking away from $600 over $5 bucks

I’m sure all those guys have bad credit and cash flow problems , it’s like they don’t want to sell the good pairs because then the rest of their GR stock looks like a pile of sh1t

BreakkerSzn said 🔗 Why these resellers walk away from $600 all because they want $605 or $610?? Walking away from $600 over $5 bucks

Same reason you won't pay the 5 or 10.

Old head perspective

Not surprising. The sneaker game has and is continuing to change. You're now seeing sh0es that would've otherwise sold out two or 3 years ago now sitting on shelves. Which is great for the average cat who simply likes sneakers. Such as myself.

At sneaker conventions the only thing that you're seeing is resellers selling to other resellers. Cats are waking up to the fact that paying double or triple retail for a sneaker is ridiculous.

And for those that go that route, REPS AND UA's are damn near even or better in quality than the sh1t sent from Nike or what you buy in your local sneaker store.

Couple that with guaranteed availability the resell game is destined to drop off from its peak days.

I'm all for cats making a buck but the prices were definitely getting out of hand. A lot of the resell shops around my way are having sales and reducing prices on many of their sh0es.

$300 for a pair of Air Jordan Black Toes 1's isn't flying for most people anymore.

In the last year or so the only sneakers that I've bought have been for my kids. And I've recently bought 2 pair of Jordans for them that are Christmas gifts.

Can I get some SB 4s restock now?

BreakkerSzn said 🔗 Why these resellers walk away from $600 all because they want $605 or $610?? Walking away from $600 over $5 bucks

shut up u clown

jlem said 🔗 Old head perspective Not surprising. The sneaker game has and is continuing to change. You're now seeing sh0es that would've otherwise sold out two or 3 years ago now sitting on shelves. Which is great for the average cat who simply likes sneakers. Such as myself. At sneaker conventions the only thing that you're seeing is resellers selling to other resellers. Cats are waking up to the fact that paying double or triple retail for a sneaker is ridiculous. And for those that go that route, REPS AND UA's are damn near even or better in quality than the sh1t sent from Nike or what you buy in your local sneaker store. Couple that with guaranteed availability the resell game is destined to drop off from its peak days. I'm all for cats making a buck but the prices were definitely getting out of hand. A lot of the resell shops around my way are having sales and reducing prices on many of their sh0es. $300 for a pair of Air Jordan Black Toes 1's isn't flying for most people anymore. In the last year or so the only sneakers that I've bought have been for my kids. And I've recently bought 2 pair of Jordans for them that are Christmas gifts.

The quiet part is... Reps have ki1led resellers. Especially with the quality you get now. Them days of praying that you get lucky on the Nike app are gone. Went to one convention and a n1gga was tryna hustle these...

These the Kanye Air Max 180s and Nike only made few of them. I knew off top that dude was wildin and I'm not even a pro sneakerhead like that

Can someone break it down simplistically what they were doing?

The video is not showing up on my tablet

HIPHOPCOP said 🔗 Can someone break it down simplistically what they were doing? The video is not showing up on my tablet

What's being alleged is:
-The owner of sh0e stores had a contract with major sneaker brands, most notably Nike.
-That contract forbade him from selling sh0es outside the country or to other retailers.
-He said fu#k that contract and sold them to a Chinese reseller
-The money he received in payment was cash in USD that was derived from Chinese prostitutes.
-The dirty money was being introduced into the US banking system (AKA laundered) disguised as being legitimate money earned by the store(s)
-They been doing this for 5 years, and over the course of that time the amount of money involved is approx. $32M

DaQCKing said 🔗 Soul Status here in Charlotte. He had a legit contract with Nike and did exactly what they told him not to do plus he was dodging taxes. You know how hard it is for an independent to get a contract and exclusives through Nike? He thought he was finna beat Nike and the IRS

Keep it it real

It’s not like a boutique like extra butter

Where sh1t is affordable

sh1t was like a luxury boutique like dover

sh1t like that don’t move in Charlotte mfrs barely paying they own rent
Should’ve went the cheaper route

All these sneaker stores going thru it because between hype releases they ain’t moving sh1t

And with retail going up the margin for profit is shrinking so these n1ggas getting desperate

lil thou wow said 🔗 Keep it it real It’s not like a boutique like extra butter Where sh1t is affordable sh1t was like a luxury boutique like dover sh1t like that don’t move in Charlotte mfrs barely paying they own rent Should’ve went the cheaper route All these sneaker stores going thru it because between hype releases they ain’t moving sh1t And with retail going up the margin for profit is shrinking so these n1ggas getting desperate

I get what you're saying but it's alot of money in Charlotte. Don't know if you live here or not but it's a reason they're throwing up luxury condos/apartments on every corridor leading into downtown. Any small piece of land on southend is being sold at a premium rate. They're working the way north also. NoDa is expensive and packed every wknd. Aint no shortage of young, non natives, wanting to spend.

Dam Charlotte df yall got goin on up there..

DaQCKing said 🔗 The quiet part is... Reps have ki1led resellers. Especially with the quality you get now. Them days of praying that you get lucky on the Nike app are gone. Went to one convention and a n1gga was tryna hustle these... These the Kanye Air Max 180s and Nike only made few of them. I knew off top that dude was wildin and I'm not even a pro sneakerhead like that

Yep!

It's a hard pill to swallow for many sneaker enthusiast. What kept the resell game alive was exclusivity. Nowadays that isn't the case.

Now the most coveted sneaker can be had months in advance or even a few weeks after its release if you know somebody across that water or someone with an overseas plug.

To keep it funky I think that a lot of the resell shops are pushing high tier reps or UA's. How in the hell do you have a full size run of Union 4's in both colorways and not one store with a Nike/Jordan account in the area got any?

For instance, I ended up getting the Air Jordan 1 Dior in 2020 from a place called Selfridges in London. Kinda lucked up because I had a military friend who was on holiday in the UK because he was stationed in Germany.

We were both into sneakers when we served in San Diego together. Anyway, he entered a raffle and won.

He hit me up and was like, "I won this raffle, and I don't really like the sh0e, but I'd buy it and sell it to you if you want them." I was like, "Yeah man. I'll take 'em!"

Long story short, I was wearing them while out with the kids and we went into one of the resell spots. The staff immediately looked down at my feet and started looking at the pair that they had in a gla$s case.

The manager came out and dapped me up and complimented the sh0es. He seemed nervous as sh1t because I guess he felt I was going to call him out or something or ask where they got them from.

I didn't because it's never that serious and I didn't care either way. However, what kinda confirmed what I thought about the high tier rep thing was that another sneaker resell shop had a pair in a similar gla$s case. I was like what are the odds that 2 sneaker shops hit on a raffle for the most limited and expensive Air Jordan in recent memory at that time in the same city?

Not likely. Nevertheless, they still sell sneakers and people seem to enjoy their purchases. So, it is what it is.

If you have that type of connect nothing is unattainable now. Red Lobsters, Yellow Lobsters, AJ Dior, whatever can be had with relative ease. At a third of the price and even lower.

Yeah, a purist may say, "They're fake because the stitching is 1mm off under the insole and the box is flimsy!"

Sheeiiit if you have to look under the insole to see the stitching to verify if something is real or fake then it's already a wrap.

tonygunz said 🔗 What's being alleged is: -The owner of sh0e stores had a contract with major sneaker brands, most notably Nike. -That contract forbade him from selling sh0es outside the country or to other retailers. -He said fu#k that contract and sold them to a Chinese reseller -The money he received in payment was cash in USD that was derived from Chinese prostitutes. -The dirty money was being introduced into the US banking system (AKA laundered) disguised as being legitimate money earned by the store(s) -They been doing this for 5 years, and over the course of that time the amount of money involved is approx. $32M

Damn that's dope!!

Gotta salute his hustle

He ain't the only one doing that f

Anybody got a reliable rep site?

DaQCKing said 🔗 I get what you're saying but it's alot of money in Charlotte. Don't know if you live here or not but it's a reason they're throwing up luxury condos/apartments on every corridor leading into downtown. Any small piece of land on southend is being sold at a premium rate. They're working the way north also. NoDa is expensive and packed every wknd. Aint no shortage of young, non natives, wanting to spend.

Same stuff happening here up the road in Durham. They're throwing up subdivisions, condos, townhomes on any piece of open property they can find.

The closer to downtown the more expensive it's going to be. They just built a small townhome community that consist of 6 or 7 townhomes with detached garages. Them sh1ts are going for 1.3 milly!

Who in the hell is buying a townhome for 1.3 million dollars in a neighborhood where the average home price is 350K? Apparently, they know something that I don't because they keep building them.

Whale Damn
If you a sneaker reseller u know those sites/stores are pretty big!!

jlem said 🔗 Yep! It's a hard pill to swallow for many sneaker enthusiast. What kept the resell game alive was exclusivity. Nowadays that isn't the case. Now the most coveted sneaker can be had months in advance or even a few weeks after its release if you know somebody across that water or someone with an overseas plug. To keep it funky I think that a lot of the resell shops are pushing high tier reps or UA's. How in the hell do you have a full size run of Union 4's in both colorways and not one store with a Nike/Jordan account in the area got any? For instance, I ended up getting the Air Jordan 1 Dior in 2020 from a place called Selfridges in London. Kinda lucked up because I had a military friend who was on holiday in the UK because he was stationed in Germany. We were both into sneakers when we served in San Diego together. Anyway, he entered a raffle and won. He hit me up and was like, "I won this raffle, and I don't really like the sh0e, but I'd buy it and sell it to you if you want them." I was like, "Yeah man. I'll take 'em!" Long story short, I was wearing them while out with the kids and we went into one of the resell spots. The staff immediately looked down at my feet and started looking at the pair that they had in a gla$s case. The manager came out and dapped me up and complimented the sh0es. He seemed nervous as sh1t because I guess he felt I was going to call him out or something or ask where they got them from. I didn't because it's never that serious and I didn't care either way. However, what kinda confirmed what I thought about the high tier rep thing was that another sneaker resell shop had a pair in a similar gla$s case. I was like what are the odds that 2 sneaker shops hit on a raffle for the most limited and expensive Air Jordan in recent memory at that time in the same city? Not likely. Nevertheless, they still sell sneakers and people seem to enjoy their purchases. So, it is what it is. If you have that type of connect nothing is unattainable now. Red Lobsters, Yellow Lobsters, AJ Dior, whatever can be had with relative ease. At a third of the price and even lower. Yeah, a purist may say, "They're fake because the stitching is 1mm off under the insole and the box is flimsy!" Sheeiiit if you have to look under the insole to see the stitching to verify if something is real or fake then it's already a wrap.

As an og
Purist with a two year (authentic) rotation…



I concur w this message.



Since the pandemic… ok, fukk it. Ill put it like this (and yall can read between the lines).



Im a middle aged man who wont let his sneakerdom subside.



As long as what i wear feels/looks good, i can allocate the residual
Money i woulda spent on resell to bills/vacay/investing.




No fukks given.




.

BreakkerSzn said 🔗 Why these resellers walk away from $600 all because they want $605 or $610?? Walking away from $600 over $5 bucks

They never were real hustlers. Real hustler know that $5 compared to $600 means nothing,, I need to unload these so I can move on to the next thing

@🔗

China making crazy moves

When my ex from Mexico broke down the cartels and China I was fu#king mind blown

Truth is stranger than fiction