The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has dropped felony wire fraud charges against Sid Chakraverty, a property developer represented by Brad Bondi, brother of Attorney General Pam Bondi. The decision was made on August 27, 2025, by Thomas Albus, the newly appointed U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Chakraverty was indicted in 2024 for allegedly misrepresenting his hiring practices regarding women- and minority-owned subcontractors to secure tax incentives for a housing development project. Despite prosecutors initially seeking criminal penalties, Albus stated in court filings that the defendants had agreed to make restitution of the taxes, making it "prudent" to end the prosecution.
This marks the second time in less than a month that charges against a client of Brad Bondi have been dropped. Earlier in August, similar circumstances led to the dismissal of charges against another of Bondi's clients, raising questions about the DOJ's current prosecutorial priorities under the Biden administration and the impact of the recent leadership change.
Albus indicated that the decision aligns with a department-wide directive to cease prosecutions for violations of programs related to race and sex-based presumptions, such as the disadvantaged business enterprise program in St. Louis. As previously reported, these shifts reflect a broader reevaluation of enforcement strategies within the DOJ.
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