Former Biden Prosecutor Faces Criminal Referral Over Alleged IRL Investigation Role

By Andrew Powell (/journals/andrew-powell)

A former federal prosecutor who served during the Biden administration is facing a criminal referral over allegations that she misled federal agents about her involvement in an investigation concerning tech entrepreneur Abraham Shafi. According to Fox News, Jina Choi joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California in late 2023. Soon after, then-U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey appointed her to lead the office’s Corporate and Securities Fraud Section, which handles major cases involving companies and securities in the Bay Area. Before taking the federal position, Choi represented IRL, the social-media startup co-founded by Shafi. The company shut down in 2023 after a board-ordered investigation concluded that about 95% of its users were likely bots, a finding Shafi disputed. Shafi was later indicted on federal fraud and obstruction charges. His defense is now challenging Choi’s conduct, arguing that her previous relationship with IRL created a conflict and that she remained involved in the federal investigation despite being screened from the case. The criminal referral was submitted to the Justice Department Tuesday by an attorney separately retained by Shafi. It asks federal authorities to investigate whether Choi made false statements to agents about her role. Prosecutors have maintained that Choi was walled off from the IRL investigation because of her prior representation of the company. Shafi’s defense, however, says it obtained internal communications and FBI interview memoranda that appear to tell a different story. According to the referral, Choi told FBI agents in July that she did “not have any kind of role in the investigation.” The defense claims an internal message attributed to Choi shows her discussing whether her predecessor could be added to the IRL team “to help move it along.” Other documents allegedly show Choi sought information about the FBI agent assigned to the case and shared news coverage of the prosecution with other government attorneys. The referral also says she acknowledged maintaining a written case tracker that included “the SHAFI investigation.” Some of the underlying communications remain sealed, preventing the public from independently reviewing the documents in full or determining their complete context. Shafi was charged with wire fraud, securities fraud and obstruction after prosecutors accused him of misleading investors about IRL’s growth while raising roughly $170 million. Prosecutors also allege he used investor money for personal expenses, including clothing, furnishings, travel, hotels and wedding-related costs. Cully Stimson, a former federal prosecutor who now leads the Heritage Foundation’s Legal Policy Center, told Fox News Digital that criminal referrals targeting prosecutors are unusual. He said the allegations, if proven, could raise broader questions about whether other members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office were affected by the alleged conduct. Choi has not been charged with a crime or disciplined for professional misconduct related to the Shafi prosecution.