Lawrence Lual Malong Yor Jr.
Love him or hate him, it's clear that former U.S. President Donald Trump rewrote the rules
regarding how a commander in chief should behave in the White House.
For Lawrence Lual Malong Yor Jr., Trump was a role model in his pursuit of riches and
political power.
Lawrence is the stepson of a former military leader in South Sudan and claimed that he
made billions of dollars on his own even though most of the country's residents live in extreme
poverty.
Even as the nation remained involved in seemingly endless war and struggled to provide enough
food for its population, Lawrence flaunted his wealth in some flashy ways.
At one point, he uploaded a video to Facebook that showed him tossing around $100 bills
strewn across a bed.
He indicated that the total amount of cash topped $1 million and described his location
being at a "presidential suite" at an expensive hotel.
However, he didn't specify what city he was in.
Aside from merely showing off his cash collection, Lawrence – or "Young Tycoon," as he calls
himself – insisted that he was a generous philanthropist.
He said he donated millions of dollars to organizations, including the Red Cross in
Kenya and South Sudan.
Among the other recipients of seven-figure donations, he claimed, were churches across
the region.
Of course, representatives of these groups provided an entirely different story.
John Mayom of the South Sudan Red Cross asserted that he knew nothing of any such donation,
saying they were following up on this misleading and malicious claim.
As for his conspicuous consumption and shameless display of wealth, Lawrence made it clear
that he didn't think it was so wrong.
In fact, he described himself as a "diehard" Trump supporter and pointed to the former
president as a shining example of someone who's not ashamed of his massive bank account.
Calling his hero "the world's greatest president" and "the world's greatest man," Lawrence said
that Trump is quote, "someone who likes to show off that he's rich."
In that respect, Lawrence said the two men have something in common, believing he’s
just like the Donald.
The General Before exploring the scope of his daring scheme,
let's look at Lawrence's background and the events that led him to a life of luxury at
the expense of his suffering countrymen.
As the stepson of a mighty army general with close ties to South Sudan President Salva
Kiir, Lawrence was given plenty of opportunities to skim money out of the government's coffers
to fund his lavish spending habits.
Nevertheless, he repeatedly assured critics that his immense wealth was in no way due
to his family's political connections.
Instead, he attempted to portray himself as a brilliant entrepreneur who was able to amass
a fortune based only on his own intelligence and hard work.
That depiction of himself seemed unbelievable on its face since he had no known background
in business.
His behavior raised plenty of red flags, but he wasn't the first in his influential family
to face severe accusations of wrongdoing.
His stepfather, Paul Malong Awan, served as the military's chief of staff and allegedly
used his position to carry out atrocities of all types.
In addition to commanding the military to commit brutal and violent acts, the United
Nations claims that the general also forced children to fight alongside adults in the
army throughout a yearslong civil war.
Lawrence was born in 1988, and his mother married Malong a few years later after his
biological father's passing.
This set the boy up for a privileged life within a nation that offered few opportunities
to rise out of crippling poverty.
His family moved away during his childhood, but he was considered a member of South Sudan's
elite upon moving back.
In addition to posing for photos with the president and other top officials, Lawrence
was given the cushy government job of reaching out to foreign investors interested in launching
diamond, gold, or oil excavation efforts.
His position allowed him to travel around the world on the government's dime while adding
expensive new items to his massive collection of luxury toys.
Selfless Servant Despite presenting himself as a billionaire
tycoon, Lawrence simultaneously crafted the persona of a selfless public servant.
He claimed that all of his efforts to make himself rich were also part of a plan to bring
new jobs into South Sudan.
While the nation sank deeper into the grips of war, Lawrence insisted that he only wanted
to allow the citizens to lay down their weapons and earn an honest living.
As it turned out, there wasn't much about his behavior that could be described as honest.
He repeatedly denied accusations that he only got rich because of his family's connections.
Instead, he said he was quote, "blessed by Jesus Christ" and promised ordinary citizens
they could reach the same level of success.
At one point, Lawrence insisted that his family name didn't make any difference.
He was a businessman, and that's all there was to it.
Although he tried to paint himself as a savior for the citizens of South Sudan, his social
media presence offered a different perspective.
He posted Facebook pictures and videos that showed him next to private jets, luxury vehicles,
and almost any other conceivable symbol of extreme wealth.
Lawrence insisted that he didn't use his Facebook profile to flaunt his money and possessions
when confronted with the apparent inconsistency.
He didn't want to be a wealthy man; he just wanted to help his people through his Facebook.
Wow... how noble.
He often referred to himself using some favorite nicknames along with his staged social media
posts.
In addition to frequently calling himself "Young Tycoon," Lawrence also posted a picture
of himself flying first-class and referred to himself as "Smart Boy for Life."
Flying business class or coach, he argued, would negatively impact his ability to attract
high-rolling investors.
Flying economy wouldn't attract the people he needed to win over.
Therefore, it's first-class or nothing.
South Sudan While he was living the life of a pampered
globetrotter, the people back home in South Sudan were embroiled in a disastrous military
conflict and a lack of necessities, including food and clean water.
A thorough investigation discovered how much climate change was impacting the people.
Desert regions have grown hotter and more inhospitable in recent years, which has caused
countless people to move away from the areas they called home their entire lives.
The violence that has dominated much of the country throughout a period of internal strife
has contributed to the displacement of even more South Sudanese individuals and families.
The brutal civil war dates back to 2013, shortly after the country declared independence from
Sudan and became the newest official nation on earth.
Before that, Sudan had been embroiled in its own violent conflict for generations.
Many of the brutal practices that were common in Sudan were also upheld by the leaders of
South Sudan.
The regime extinguished dozens of prisoners, and hundreds more were sentenced to capital
punishment under the country's strict legal system.
To make matters worse, the nation was secretive about how it handled executions, so there
were probably some forms of capital punishment carried out without being reported.
Some children were reportedly handed down extreme sentences during the nation's extended
period of fear and turmoil.
Hundreds of thousands of people were taken out over six years as military leaders who
backed the nation's president squared off against those who sided with former Vice President
Riek Machar.
With adequate health care and clean water in short supply, much of the nation has grown
accustomed to living in reprehensible conditions.
The vicious cycle of poverty is made even worse because nearly three in four South Sudanese
citizens are believed to be illiterate.
George Clooney Things became so bad in this troubled nation
that an organization with ties to actor George Clooney took an interest in exposing the situation
to the rest of the world.
He co-founded The Sentry, which performed a deep analysis of what had gone wrong in
South Sudan and what other countries could do to help.
Following the eye-popping results of that probe, Clooney warned nations worldwide that
the unrest in South Sudan could soon expand to impact other regions of the planet.
He said that people should care not just because it’s the right thing to do but because,
at one point or another, it’s something that everyone will be dealing with.
The group's report determined that a corrupt network at the helm of South Sudan's government
has been responsible for defrauding the struggling citizens of the nation out of what little
money they had.
Paul Malong Awan Although Lawrence was the flashy big spender,
his stepfather was really wreaking havoc behind the scenes.
Malong was the governor of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal region between 2008 and 2014.
But, when he took over as a prominent military leader, his behavior triggered some red flags.
He was the top officer in the South Sudan People's Defense Forces until May 2017.
During that time, he served as a personal adviser to the president and allegedly orchestrated
a series of war crimes.
Dating back to 2013, two militia groups carried out a slew of executions with the apparent
goal of protecting the president and Malong.
Reports of the atrocities captured the attention of the United States, which tried and failed
to impose sanctions against the general and other high-ranking officials.
As the Sentry determined in its report, Malong also collected a range of luxury possessions
and extravagant residences in Uganda throughout this period.
One spacious home was built within a fortress and boasted a 7,000 square foot floor plan.
A second villa with about 6,000 square feet of space was built in an exclusive Bungu community.
In addition to his government salary, Malong and his close relatives maintained a financial
interest in various international firms.
President Kiir President Kiir has also courted controversy
through his alarming actions and conspicuous displays of wealth.
Although his salary as president was a mere $60,000 per year, investigations found that
he had amassed a fortune in other countries.
Furthermore, his relatives were living in luxury and escaped the brutality and poverty
affecting citizens in every corner of South Sudan.
Close relatives of the president were tied to scams and schemes that allowed them to
profit off of the civil war while bringing more uncertainty and food insecurity to the
nation.
Kiir funded a sprawling ranch where he was free to store a range of weapons and other
military gear that he bought with his ill-gotten riches.
There were even attack helicopters found at the ranch, leading to concerns that the unhinged
president might turn his cache of weapons against the citizens he was supposed to be
leading.
Jailed While some corrupt political and military
leaders can escape justice based on their financial assets and influential connections,
Lawrence was finally brought to justice in 2021.
He was eventually charged with a scam he perpetrated with a pair of accomplices.
Prosecutors determined that the three scammers convinced a pair of foreign investors to sink
their money into a fraudulent gold business in Uganda.
As large sums of money moved through accounts based in multiple countries, evidence showed
that the scam brought in more than $1 million.
He was convicted on multiple counts, including conspiracy, obtaining money through false
pretenses, and making false claims.
At his sentencing, Lawrence learned he would spend six years behind bars for his involvement
in the scheme.
Although it might seem as though justice was paid in this case, plenty more work must be
done to reduce the corruption and crime that continues to leave the South Sudanese people
living in fear and poverty.
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