BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — Billionaire investor Kevin O’Leary said Saturday he would release documents that he claims support explosive allegations that Utah groups opposing his massive Box Elder County data center project have ties to China.
O’Leary, speaking on Fox News, said the records include Internal Revenue Service filings.
“This is irrefutable. This is Form 990 from the IRS, and I’m going to publish it today,” O’Leary said.
WATCH: Kevin O'Leary accuses Box Elder County data center opponents of being funded by China
The comments mark the latest escalation in the fight over the proposed Stratos Project, a roughly 40,000-acre data center and power campus planned for western Box Elder County. Supporters say the project could generate major tax revenue, strengthen national security and position Utah at the center of the artificial intelligence race. Critics say it raises serious concerns about water use, power demand, air quality and the future of the Great Salt Lake. The project has drawn statewide and national attention in recent weeks.
O’Leary has spent the week publicly accusing two Utah groups — Alliance for a Better Utah and Elevate Strategies — of helping spread opposition to the project.
“So these are proxies for the Chinese government, is my argument,” O’Leary said.
In Saturday’s interview, O’Leary appeared to focus more heavily on Alliance for a Better Utah, claiming money connected to the group moved through the U.S.-based advocacy network Arabella Advisors before ultimately tracing back to China.
FOX 13 has not independently verified that claim, and as of publication, O’Leary had not publicly released the documents he said would support it.
Elevate Strategies pushed back Saturday, sending FOX 13 a video response instead of a written statement.
“We are not Chinese foreign operatives. Never have been,” said Gabi Finlayson of Elevate.
Finlayson said the group’s opposition is centered on local concerns involving the Stratos project’s potential impact on Utah’s electrical grid, water supply and the Great Salt Lake.
WATCH: Hundreds demand Utah political leaders walk back data center project
Alliance for a Better Utah also denied O’Leary’s allegations earlier this week.
“No, I would probably get paid a lot more if I was,” Elizabeth Hutchings told FOX 13 when asked whether the organization receives money from the Chinese government.
Hutchings said the group is funded by grassroots donors and Utahns who support its advocacy work.
The Stratos project, backed by O’Leary Digital, is expected to include up to nine gigawatts of power generation — more than Utah’s current statewide electricity consumption — and has become one of the most controversial economic development projects in state history.
FOX 13 has requested the records O’Leary says support his claims and will review any documents that are released.
