Bottled Blonde, a popular Valley bar, has pulled out of its plans to open a location in Gilbert after allegations that the landowner committed money laundering and fraud.
Aaron Wagner, the Founder and CEO of WAGS Capitol, who is behind various Valley businesses, faces 16 federal counts of money laundering and fraud related to business funds.
Wagner is accused of convincing investors to give him more than $40 million over several years, which they believed would be for restaurant and other business investments.
Wagner would allegedly use the money for personal expenses, including exotic cars, personal jets, and multi-million-dollar homes.
According to court paperwork, Wagner would then post on marketing channels using the lavish lifestyle to show off his false business success.
In one example, Wagner and his co-defendant Michael Mains are accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from Crumbl Cookie locations, making the funds appear to have …