American billionaire James Cox ‘Fergie’ Chambers Jr., heir to one of the largest fortunes in the United States and known for his far-left political activism, remains in the Eivissa prison after the duty judge ordered his provisional detention while an extradition request filed by the U.S. authorities is processed.
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Chambers was arrested on the island at the request of the U.S. government and, after being brought before a judge, was held in pretrial detention pending the resolution of the extradition procedure. So far, the authorities have not made public the specific charges motivating the U.S. request. There is no public record of a federal indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which may mean the indictment is ‘sealed,’ something relatively common in national security investigations.
The authorities have not yet made public the charges against the detainee
Chambers, 39, has a personal fortune estimated at around $6 billion, inherited from the Cox Enterprises family fortune, one of the largest private communication and telecommunications conglomerates in the United States. According to Forbes rankings, his family is among the wealthiest in the country.
However, Chambers has been completely detached from the business world for years. He publicly defines himself as a Marxist-Leninist and revolutionary communist, an ideology he even reflects in tattoos of Stalin and Mao Zedong. In recent years, he has become one of the most visible voices of international pro-Palestinian activism and a critic of U.S. and Israeli foreign policy.
Chambers promotes economic support campaigns for the Palestinian cause
The suspicions surrounding the extradition request point precisely to that political and financial activity. Although U.S. authorities have not officially detailed the accusations, it could be related to the destination of the money contributed by Chambers to organizations and platforms linked to the Palestinian cause. Among them is The Babochki Collective, an initiative by Chambers himself that raises funds for the humanitarian project The Sameer Project, dedicated to providing shelter, water, and basic aid to the population of Gaza.
His political stance hardened after the attack carried out by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. In an interview with a Tunisian media outlet, he described that offensive as “a moment of inspiration for many seeking justice on earth.” In that same conversation, he explained that he had embraced Islam after witnessing “the brutality in Gaza and the anti-colonial Islamic resistance in Palestine.”
His family is considered one of the great fortunes of the United States
In recent months, he has also intensively used his social networks to criticize Donald Trump’s policy regarding Iran and the Middle East, spreading messages very favorable to the Palestinian cause and often aligned with the narrative defended by Iran. In one of his latest posts on X, Chambers celebrated the recent crushing defeat of the U.S. team against Belgium.
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Chambers’ fortune comes from his grandfather James M. Cox, founder in 1898 of the company that would become Cox Enterprises, a giant whose revenues exceeded $23 billion in 2025. The group controls companies such as Cox Communications, Cox Automotive, owner of Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Manheim, as well as the historic newspaper ‘Atlanta Journal-Constitution’.
In recent years he has lived in Tunisia, where he converted to Islam
In 2023, Chambers announced he was selling his entire 17% stake in Cox Enterprises, which he inherited from his grandmother, as a protest gesture against his family’s support for the construction of a police training center in Atlanta known as ‘Cop City,’ a project strongly contested by U.S. social movements.
Since then, he has established much of his residence in Tunisia, where he has maintained his political activism and financed pro-Palestinian initiatives. He also acquired a football team in Tunisia. Some U.S. publications suggest that his move to this country may have coincided with the growing interest of federal authorities in his activities.
The detainee had already been in Eivissa during his period of excesses
In an extensive report in Rolling Stone magazine, Chambers already claimed to feel monitored by U.S. authorities. After an action against a headquarters of the Israeli company Elbit Systems, several activists were arrested, and speculation began that he himself might be investigated.
The arrest took place in Eivissa, a destination not unknown to Chambers. In another report published by ‘Vanity Fair’ magazine, the billionaire recounted that he spent long periods on the island during his youth, a stage he described as marked by parties, drug use, and the excesses allowed by his immense fortune.
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