A Dutch oil trader has filed a lawsuit alleging that a man posing as a deep-cover CIA operative orchestrated a sophisticated fraud to steal his company worth £350 million. Niels Troost claims that Gaurav Srivastava, an Indian businessman living in California, fabricated an elaborate fantasy of espionage to gain his trust and ultimately swindle him.
According to the RICO complaint filed this week, Srivastava told Troost he was a non-official cover CIA agent, trained at 'the Farm' in Virginia, and showed scars from a covert mission. He also claimed to have been held hostage by ISIS in 2008 during an operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The lawsuit alleges these stories were entirely false, with the scars from a childhood kidney operation and the ISIS kidnapping impossible as the group did not operate in the DRC at that time.
Troost, who dealt in Russian crude, was facing potential US sanctions after the Ukraine invasion and believed Srivastava could help. Instead, the suit claims, Srivastava aimed to take over the company to fund a $24.5 million California mansion. The complaint alleges Srivastava controlled a criminal enterprise that stole tens of millions of dollars from Troost and others, using the fake CIA narrative to intimidate victims.
Attorney Jason Masimore, a former federal prosecutor representing Troost, stated that the scheme involved willing lawyers, bankers, and former intelligence operatives, compromising US national security. Troost’s company is now in liquidation. The lawsuit is the first to name Srivastava personally; previous actions targeted his alleged enablers, including a crisis communications firm run by CIA veterans.
Srivastava has not responded to requests for comment. The Arkin Group, also sued for defamation, declined to comment. Troost’s legal battle continues, with Masimore noting the case 'has the hallmarks of a Hollywood film' but remains a straightforward allegation of fraud.
