In 2023, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell joined a video chat with two pranksters pretending to be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, the pranksters, who go by Vovan and Lexus, weren't Ukrainian, but rather, Russian.
In an article published on June 28, Bloomberg News' Jason Leopold describes his efforts to obtain details about the chat via a Freedom of Information Act request — and how Powell was fooled into participating.
Leopold notes that the pranksters, who go by Vovan and Lexus, are "known for pulling stunts designed to humiliate western leaders."
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"I wanted to know how the normally hypervigilant Fed fell for such a prank, whether any officials vetted the impersonators, and the extent of any operational security failures," Leopold explains. "I requested e-mails, text messages, and investigative reports related to the video chat. The Federal Reserve's FOIA office initially refused to turn over substantive documents, citing ongoing law enforcement proceedings."
In 2023, according to Leopold, Powell's associates realized the interactions were "a bit hairy." And "panic set in" when they saw they had been fooled.
Leopold notes that his persistence paid off when his FOIA search gave him the details he was searching for and he could see for himself how Powell was "duped" into talking to Vovan and Lexus.
"In February, I filed a new request for the same documents I'd requested a year earlier," Leopold explains. "This time, I hit pay dirt. Not only did the FOIA office send me a bunch more e-mails, but I also got the Fed's internal investigative report. Together, they give a pretty thorough look at how the prank unfolded and what transpired after Fed officials realized they'd been hoodwinked."
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Read Jason Leopold's full report for Bloomberg News at this link (subscription required).
