Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) latest financial disclosure has kicked off another round of scrutiny after revealing that a California winery owned by her husband jumped in reported value from around $50,000 to as much as $5 million in just one year.

The winery, “eStCru LLC”, is co-owned by Omar’s husband, Tim Mynett, and his business partner, William Hailer.

According to documents filed with the House Clerk in May 2025, the Santa Rosa-based operation saw its valuation soar between 2023 and 2024, despite ongoing legal challenges from investors who claim they were promised returns that never came through.

The explosive growth comes as the Department of Justice and House Oversight Committee have launched investigations into Omar’s finances – per Fox News, with President Donald Trump saying that authorities are “looking at” the Minnesota Democrat’s reported wealth.

“Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is worth over $30 Million Dollars. There is no way such wealth could have been accumulated, legally, while being paid the salary of a politician. She should be investigated for Financial and Political Crimes, and that investigation should start, NOW!” Trump wrote via his Truth Social account on January 22.

A Winery Without Wine?

It is quite puzzling that eStCru seems to have very little presence.

The company’s website remains largely static, with no active phone line listed. Social media accounts have gone dark, and critics now question whether the winery is actually producing or selling any legitimate amounts of wine.

Yet on paper, the business has flourished – at least in terms of the evaluation reported on Omar’s congressional disclosure forms.

Omar’s office has seemingly maintained that the disclosed values represent the full worth of the businesses, not Mynett’s individual stake. However, California business records show that only Mynett and Hailer are listed as partners on the winery’s “statement of organization.”

Investor Lawsuits and Broken Promises

The winery’s valuation spike contrasts sharply with the business’s performance, as investors allege they suffered losses after being enticed by promises of significant returns.

In fall 2023, Washington D.C. restaurateur Naeem Mohd filed a lawsuit alleging that Mynett and Hailer fraudulently obtained $300,000 from him with promises of a 200% return within 18 months, per The Rhode Island Current.

Mohd eventually received his principal back – allegedly a month late — but no profits materialized. The lawsuit was reportedly settled, though the terms were never made public.

Mynett and Hailer denied any wrongdoing through their attorneys, who called fraud allegations “false” and blamed the pandemic for business difficulties.

A Pattern of Financial Controversy

Omar came under fire in 2019-2020 for funneling nearly $3 million in campaign funds to E Street Group, a “political consultancy” co-founded by Mynett and Hailer that has also garnered some speculative scrutiny.

Separately, South Dakota cannabis entrepreneurs sued Hailer in 2022 over a different venture, claiming he promised to triple their $3.54 million investment within days but failed to deliver, according to The Minnesota Reformer.

Another venture capital firm tied to the pair, Rose Lake Capital, also appears on Omar’s 2024 financial disclosure, with an even more dramatic valuation jump — from $1 to $1,000 in 2023 to $5 million to $25 million in 2024.

From Negative Net Worth to Millions

When Omar first entered Congress in 2019, her financial disclosure showed a negative net worth. Her congressional salary of $174,000 per year would not, by itself, account for the millions now listed on her disclosure forms.

Omar has pushed back against claims that her net worth has ballooned to $30 million.

However, her disclosures differ from those of congressional colleagues who hold stakes in similar ventures. Other representatives provide specific valuation ranges for their individual stakes — not just the total value of the businesses. By reporting the full business valuations rather than her husband’s specific ownership percentages, some could say that Omar has essentially hidden the extent of her household’s actual wealth from public view.

Questions Without Answers

The dramatic valuation increase for Omar and crew raises fundamental questions: How does a winery with limited visible operations achieve a multimillion-dollar valuation? Why did Rose Lake Capital’s reported value jump from under $1,000 to potentially $25 million in a single year?

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has indicated his committee will examine these issues. As of press time, the DOJ investigation is ongoing, with no criminal findings announced.

For now, eStCru’s intellectual property remains listed for sale, its website static, and no bottles appear to be flowing — even as its reported valuation climbed into the millions.

Omar’s office did not respond to requests for comment.