A mysterious group known as Flannery Associates has gobbled up nearly 52,000 acres of agricultural land in California, including areas near Travis Air Force Base, sparking concerns of foreign influence that lead to the Air Force’s Foreign Investment Risk Review Office’s probe, according to the WSJ. Flannery maintains it is majority American-owned, with the remaining 3% of invested capital originating from Ireland and Britain, but local authorities, lawmakers and federal agencies continue to probe the opaque company.
“Any speculation that Flannery’s purchases are motivated by the proximity to Travis Air Force Base” is unfounded, an attorney for the firm told the WSJ.
In the last five years, Flannery has become the largest landowner in Solano County, the outlet reported, citing county officials and public records.
Flannery told Solano County it “is owned by a group of families looking to diversify their portfolio from equities into real assets, including agricultural land in the western United States,” according to the WSJ.
“We don’t know who Flannery is, and their extensive purchases do not make sense to anybody in the area,” Democratic California Rep. John Garamendi, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Readiness group whose district includes the area where Flannery is buying land, told the outlet. “The fact that they’re buying land purposefully right up to the fence at Travis raises significant questions.”
Garamendi and Democratic California Rep. Mike Thompson, whose district is also implicated, have asked the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to open a probe into the land acquisitions, according to the WSJ. CFIUS involves advisors from multiple federal agencies who have the power to review and block foreign acquisitions deemed threatening to national security.
In addition, the Department of Agriculture is looking into Flannery’s investors, the WSJ reported, citing correspondence.
Several of the parcels Flannery claimed ownership of include wind turbines, and most are in unincorporated parts of Solano county set aside for agriculture, according to the WSJ. At least 20 surround Travis AFB, known as the “Gateway to the Pacific” and home to a unit that plays a major role in facilitating global U.S. military transport.
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“Any speculation that Flannery’s purchases are motivated by the proximity to Travis Air Force Base” is unfounded, an attorney for the firm told the WSJ.
In the last five years, Flannery has become the largest landowner in Solano County, the outlet reported, citing county officials and public records.
Flannery told Solano County it “is owned by a group of families looking to diversify their portfolio from equities into real assets, including agricultural land in the western United States,” according to the WSJ.
“We don’t know who Flannery is, and their extensive purchases do not make sense to anybody in the area,” Democratic California Rep. John Garamendi, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Readiness group whose district includes the area where Flannery is buying land, told the outlet. “The fact that they’re buying land purposefully right up to the fence at Travis raises significant questions.”
Garamendi and Democratic California Rep. Mike Thompson, whose district is also implicated, have asked the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to open a probe into the land acquisitions, according to the WSJ. CFIUS involves advisors from multiple federal agencies who have the power to review and block foreign acquisitions deemed threatening to national security.
In addition, the Department of Agriculture is looking into Flannery’s investors, the WSJ reported, citing correspondence.
Several of the parcels Flannery claimed ownership of include wind turbines, and most are in unincorporated parts of Solano county set aside for agriculture, according to the WSJ. At least 20 surround Travis AFB, known as the “Gateway to the Pacific” and home to a unit that plays a major role in facilitating global U.S. military transport.
Mysterious Investors Behind $1 Billion Land Purchase Near Key Air Force Base
The Air Force is investigating nearly $1 billion mysterious land purchases abutting a key California Air Force base.