Erik Prince

Erik Prince
Erik Prince
Born	June 6, 1969 (age 57); Holland, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, investor, author, former Navy SEAL officer
Known for	Founder of Blackwater

Erik Dean Prince (born June 6, 1969) is an American entrepreneur, investor, author, and former officer in the U.S. Navy SEALs, widely recognized as the founder of the private security firm Blackwater. He held the position of Blackwater's CEO until 2009 and continued as chairman until its sale to new investors in 2010. In 2012, Prince established the private equity company Frontier Resource Group and served as chairman of the Hong Kong-listed Frontier Services Group until 2021. He is the son of engineer and businessman Edgar Prince and sibling to former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Early life, education, and military service

Born in Holland, Michigan as the youngest among four siblings to Edgar and Elsa Prince, Prince completed his secondary education at Holland Christian High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Hillsdale College in 1992. During his college years, he volunteered as a firefighter and cold-water diver with the Hillsdale County Sheriff's Department and trained as an emergency medical technician.

In 1990, Prince undertook an internship at the White House during President George H. W. Bush’s administration before working for California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher. At age 21, he participated in a volunteer mission searching for mass graves in Nicaragua linked to atrocities under President Daniel Ortega.

Following graduation, Prince was commissioned as a U.S. Navy officer through Officer Candidate School in 1992. He completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) with class 188 in 1993 and was deployed with SEAL Team 8 to locations including Haiti, the Middle East, and the Balkans. His experiences during the early 1990s Yugoslav conflicts motivated him to develop private training facilities tailored for special operations forces. After his father passed away in 1995, Prince chose to conclude his Navy career prematurely. The following year, he assisted in brokering the $1.35 billion acquisition of his father’s automotive parts company by Johnson Controls.

Private career

Relocating to Virginia Beach, Prince financed the creation of Blackwater Worldwide in 1997. To establish a training center for special operations, he acquired part of the Great Dismal Swamp in North Carolina. The company’s name "Blackwater" originates from the dark peat bogs that surround this facility.

Prince has cited the 1994 Rwandan genocide as a pivotal event that spurred him to take proactive measures instead of remaining inactive.

Between 1997 and 2010, Blackwater secured approximately $2 billion worth of government security contracts, including over $1.6 billion in unclassified federal contracts and up to $600 million in classified CIA agreements from 2001 through 2010. It emerged as the largest private security provider for the State Department, deploying nearly 1,000 personnel to protect embassies and military bases overseas. Additionally, Prince developed a shooting range near CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to facilitate training operations.

The company encountered significant controversy following the September 2007 Nisour Square massacre, where Blackwater personnel were responsible for killing 17 Iraqi civilians. Several employees were subsequently convicted on manslaughter and murder charges within U.S. courts. Under President Barack Obama, criticism intensified; Prince attributed much of this scrutiny to political dynamics. In 2009, after Iraq declined to renew Blackwater’s operating license, the firm lost a $1 billion contract with the State Department but still received $120 million from State and $100 million from CIA contracts during 2010.

In 2012, Academi—the successor entity to Blackwater—paid $49.5 million to resolve allegations related to arms trafficking violations dating back to Prince’s leadership period as CEO and chairman. In 2020, federal authorities investigated Prince over claims that he converted agricultural aircraft into military use. Furthermore, a United Nations report accused him of breaching an arms embargo by assisting a Libyan warlord opposing the internationally supported government.

Prince has defended Blackwater’s performance by emphasizing that out of approximately 40,000 personal security missions conducted, only about 200 involved gunfire incidents with no clients harmed or killed despite losing around 30 guards.

Author Robert Young Pelton likened Blackwater’s function within military operations to FedEx’s relationship with the U.S. Postal Service—representing a privatized solution designed to overcome bureaucratic inefficiencies. Prince acknowledges that his father’s competitive automotive business inspired his vision for a more agile and efficient military force.

Prince stepped down as CEO on March 2, 2009 but remained chairman until selling Blackwater to investors toward the end of 2010.

Following the August 2021 collapse of Afghanistan’s government, Prince offered evacuation seats on chartered flights at a cost of $6,500 per passenger.

Involvement in a Secret CIA Operation

Prince participated in a clandestine CIA task force aimed at identifying and neutralizing terrorist threats. He alleged that the House intelligence committee disclosed his identity and accused former CIA director Leon Panetta of exposing him as an intelligence asset following the termination of the covert training program in 2009.

Security Services for the United Arab Emirates

After Blackwater faced legal difficulties within the United States, Prince was contracted by Abu Dhabi’s crown prince in 2010 to assemble an 800-strong foreign military unit for the U.A.E., a plan initiated prior to the Arab Spring. He played a key role in founding Reflex Responses (R2), a security company predominantly owned by local stakeholders, with his involvement deliberately omitted from official corporate documentation. Prince managed recruitment efforts, including hiring personnel from Executive Outcomes, a South African mercenary outfit recognized for safeguarding African natural resources during the 1990s.

By January 2011, Prince was engaged in training 2,000 Somali troops for anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden, financed by Arab nations such as the U.A.E. and supported by U.S. resources. His spokesperson confirmed that Prince held "no financial interest" and refrained from additional remarks. Industry analysts highlighted that terrestrial operations like those led by Prince were essential complements to the multinational naval forces combating piracy.

In 2011, Prince received an invitation to Moscow from the Russian Federation, which sought his expertise to develop a "Blackwater-style capability" within Russia. He conducted training sessions and collaborated with Alpha Group, the special operations unit of the Federal Security Service (FSB).

Private Equity Activities in Africa

Prince heads Frontier Resource Group, a private equity enterprise, and until April 13, 2021, held the position of chairman at Frontier Services Group Ltd, a logistics and transportation company incorporated in Bermuda and publicly traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Frontier Services Group is financially supported by China's state-owned CITIC Group and Hong Kong investor Johnson Chun Shun Ko, with the Chinese government as its principal shareholder. Prince’s business initiatives concentrate on facilitating and advising Chinese investments within Africa’s oil and gas sectors.

In May 2014, Prince’s initiative to establish a diesel refinery in South Sudan, backed by $10 million in initial capital and direct endorsement from President Salva Kiir Mayardit, was halted. Frontier Services Group secured $23.3 million from South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum for logistics related to supply transport and oil infrastructure maintenance. Additionally, Prince brokered sales to the South Sudanese government involving three Mi-24 attack helicopters, two L-39 jets, and Hungarian mercenary pilots for $43 million.

As part of his African investment strategy, Frontier Services Group acquired shares in Kenyan aviation companies Kijipwa Aviation and Phoenix Aviation to enhance logistical support for oil and gas projects. Nevertheless, in October 2014, Kijipwa Aviation’s license renewal was refused by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.

Prince also obtained a 25% ownership interest in Austrian aviation firm Airborne Technologies. In 2014, he commissioned modifications to Thrush 510G crop-dusters, equipping them with surveillance systems, armaments, armor plating, and customized pylons compatible with NATO or Russian munitions. One of these altered crop-dusters was delivered to South Sudanese forces before Frontier Services Group’s contract was terminated. The company retains ownership of two such aircraft but has since refrained from selling or deploying them to comply with U.S. export regulations.

Associations with Trump Campaigns

In May 2018, The New York Times disclosed that Prince facilitated an August 2016 gathering at Trump Tower, which involved himself, Donald Trump Jr., George Nader, and Joel Zamel. During this meeting, Nader claimed that the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE intended to support Trump's election bid, while Zamel proposed a social media influence campaign through his Israeli company Psy-Group.<ref> In November 2017 testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, Prince asserted he held no official or unofficial position within the Trump campaign.<ref> When confronted with this discrepancy in March 2019, Prince initially suggested the transcript was incomplete but later admitted attending the 2016 meeting to discuss "Iran policy".<ref>

Investigators from the Special Counsel probed a January 2017 meeting in the Seychelles organized by UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ("MBZ"). Prince was present along with Nader and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund closely linked to Putin. UAE representatives reportedly believed Prince acted on behalf of the Trump transition team, while Dmitriev was seen as representing Putin. According to The Washington Post, this meeting aimed to create a secret communication channel between Moscow and President-elect Trump.<ref> Prince denied any role in representing the Trump transition or engaging in back-channel talks during his November 2017 testimony.<ref> Nevertheless, Special Counsel inquiries uncovered evidence contradicting Prince’s statements,<ref> including that Nader met with Prince shortly before the Seychelles meeting and provided background information on Dmitriev.<ref>

The Mueller report indicated that Nader introduced Prince to Dmitriev as a representative appointed by Steve Bannon, implying Prince would pass information to the Transition Team, although Bannon claimed he was not informed beforehand. While Prince testified he did not travel there to meet Russian officials, Mueller's findings suggested extensive preparations were made for Dmitriev's attendance. A subsequent meeting between Prince and Dmitriev, which Prince described as coincidental, was actually prearranged after learning Russia had repositioned an aircraft carrier away from Libya; this was intended as a signal of U.S. opposition to Russian military actions.<ref>

On April 30, 2019, House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff announced a criminal referral to the Justice Department accusing Prince of providing false testimony.<ref> By February 2020, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd confirmed that the Department of Justice had launched an investigation into Prince.<ref>

Links to Nicolas Maduro and Venezuela

Prince reportedly visited Venezuela on December 30, 2019, where he met with a senior aide to Nicolas Maduro. This encounter led to a referral to the U.S. Treasury Department over potential sanctions violations connected to Maduro’s regime.

Accusations of Political Infiltration Operations

In March 2020, The New York Times revealed that Prince had enlisted former intelligence operatives to infiltrate "Democratic congressional campaigns, labor unions, and other organizations opposed to the Trump agenda." These activities were designed to support Project Veritas, a conservative group known for spreading "coordinated disinformation" via misleadingly edited videos targeting Democrats, journalists, and liberal entities. Until mid-2018, these operations were led by former British intelligence officer Richard Seddon, who trained agents at Prince’s Wyoming ranch. Additionally, Prince organized intelligence training sessions for Project Veritas staff; however, these ceased when the trainer resigned due to perceived limitations within the organization.

Despite Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe’s criminal conviction leading to loss of charitable status in several states and donor pullouts, Prince continued backing the group.

In May 2021, The New York Times disclosed that Project Veritas, aided by Prince and a former British spy, covertly monitored government employees during the Trump administration aiming to undermine critics. Techniques included orchestrating meetings where FBI personnel were secretly recorded; nevertheless, despite considerable expenditures—including leasing an upscale Georgetown residence—the campaign failed to document any officials disparaging President Trump.

Proposed Collaboration with the Wagner Group and Engagements in Libya

In April 2020, The Intercept disclosed that Prince offered his services as a subcontractor to the Russian Wagner Group in both Mozambique and Libya, proposing the provision of aerial reconnaissance platforms alongside ground troops. Investigative reports by Rolling Stone and The New York Times, drawing on a United Nations report, uncovered links between Prince and Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar’s 2019 campaign aimed at toppling the U.N.-recognized government of Libya.

Project Opus

On April 14, 2019, Erik Prince presented an $80 million proposal to Haftar under the name "Project Opus," intending to supply aircraft and military hardware, including surplus helicopters sourced from Jordan. The initiative sought to deliver intelligence surveillance planes, drones, armed assault helicopters, maritime interdiction assets, and cyber intelligence tools but was discontinued by June 2019. The operation was orchestrated and funded through three United Arab Emirates-based companies—Lancaster 6 DMCC, L-6 FZE, and Opus Capital Asset Limited FZE—functioning via shell entities.

Lancaster 6 and Opus Capital Asset were associated with private military contractors and Pilatus PC-6 ISR aircraft deployed in Libya to back Haftar’s forces. The UAE’s L-6 FZE owned a crop-dusting plane, the LASA T-Bird, incorporated into Project Opus. A 2021 UN report disclosed that this agricultural aircraft had been retrofitted with rocket pods and twin 23mm cannons for combat purposes.

Prince became subject to an FBI probe over allegations that he attempted to sell Jordanian weaponry to Haftar’s UAE-supported forces. Reports reveal that Prince worked alongside Jordanian royal Faisal ibn al-Hussein to facilitate arms transfers from Jordan to Libya. His associate, Australian pilot Christiaan Durrant, asserted that clearances were obtained “at the highest level.” After Jordan declined the arrangement, Prince arranged a meeting at the US Army and Navy Club with Durrant and a member of the Trump National Security Council to secure American backing for Haftar’s offensive.

The United Nations monitored the shipment of three aircraft owned by Prince to a mercenary company connected to him in the UAE for deployment in Libya. Although investigations examined potential violations of the Libyan arms embargo, no charges were filed against Prince.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

In 2023, the United Nations linked Prince to a contract in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The UN Group of Experts reported that Prince sought to arrange the deployment of more than two thousand mercenaries from Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina with the objective of securing mineral-rich mining zones and halting advancing troops. This operation followed an accord between the UAE and DRC, preceded by reconnaissance conducted by three mercenaries from South Africa.

Ecuador

In March 2025, Prince and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa publicized an agreement to bolster government security forces amid the ongoing Ecuadorian conflict.

Controversy in Ecuador: Staged Operation and Erik Prince’s Remarks Ignite Criticism

The visit was overshadowed by a contentious operation in which 63 detainees were freed shortly afterward due to lack of confirmed offenses, prompting critics to label it a political spectacle. Additionally, Prince leveled accusations against presidential candidate Luisa González, raising alarms about foreign meddling in Ecuador’s electoral affairs.

Deportations

In 2025, Politico revealed that Prince spearheaded a proposal presented to the Trump administration advocating for large-scale deportations. This plan included collaboration with private sector entities, featuring ideas such as processing centers and the creation of a civilian "army."

Personal life

Prince maintains residences in both Middleburg, Virginia and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Having converted to Catholicism in 1992, he actively practices his faith within the church.

Political views

Identifying as a libertarian, Prince champions free-market approaches rather than government regulation. He credits an internship at the White House with influencing his political ideology, criticizing federal agencies for inefficiency and opposing measures like the budget deal and the Clean Air Act. Feeling disillusioned, he threw his support behind presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan.

During a 2024 podcast, Prince sparked controversy by asserting that the United States should reclaim authority over certain nations he deems incapable of self-rule, specifically referencing regions in Africa and Latin America.

Contributions to political and charitable causes

From 1998 through 2007, Prince contributed upwards of $200,000 to Republican and third-party initiatives. In 2006, he made donations to the Green Party of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in a failed attempt to bolster Republican Rick Santorum against Democrat Bob Casey. He has also been a benefactor to the Family Research Council, an organization long supported by both the Prince and DeVos families.

In 2016, Prince donated $250,000 toward Donald Trump's presidential bid and an additional $100,000 to Make America Number 1, a super PAC aligned with Trump and led by Rebekah Mercer. Other Republican figures receiving his support include Ron Paul, Walter Jones, Joe Miller, Mike Pence, Dana Rohrabacher, Oliver North, Pat Buchanan, Jim DeMint, Tom Coburn, Duncan L. Hunter, Ted Poe, Jon Kyl, Pete Hoekstra, and Mitt Romney.

Prince holds a directorship at the Prince Foundation, created by his parents in 1979; as of 2025, this foundation has ceased accepting contributions and is being phased out. In the 1990s, he established the Freiheit ("Liberty") Foundation to back conservative causes; however, it has been mostly dormant since 2008 after reporting a $1.8 million deficit linked to its investment in the Seligman New Technologies Fund—a fund whose manager faced allegations related to illegal market timing.

He has consistently supported conservative Christian organizations such as the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty and Prison Fellowship. Additionally, he has backed conservative political entities like the Council for National Policy—where his father served as vice president before passing away. Following the Nisour Square incident involving Blackwater personnel in Baghdad that resulted in civilian deaths, Prince provided aid to a Muslim orphanage in Afghanistan and funded mosque construction at Blackwater facilities.

Family

Prince is the younger sibling of former United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and brother-in-law to former Alticor (Amway) president Dick DeVos. The DeVos family ranks among America's wealthiest and are prominent supporters of conservative causes.

His first wife, Joan Nicole—who introduced him to Catholicism—passed away from cancer in 2003 at age 36; together they had four children. During Joan’s illness, Prince revealed an extramarital relationship with Joanna Ruth Houck, their children's nanny; he married Houck in 2004. Currently, he is wed to Stacy DeLuke, formerly a Blackwater spokesperson.

Prince is father to twelve children altogether—four with each of his three spouses.

External links

Comprehensive public records of Prince's political donations
Fletcher, Dan (August 6, 2009). "Erik Prince, Former Blackwater CEO". Time.