Miami Herald Retraction & Press

On January 23, 2023, the Miami Herald published a formal retraction and apology for its October 18, 2021 article, “Feds Probe Miami Investment Firm Over Millions Linked to Suspected Venezuelan Kleptocrats.”

The retraction stated: “Following a review, we are not aware of any proof of any criminal investigation by the Justice Department into allegations of international money laundering concerning Jean-François de Clermont-Tonnerre or Justin Lowe. We are also not aware of any evidence of an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the matters described in the article.”

The Herald concluded: “The article was improperly sourced and did not meet our standards for accuracy and fairness. The Herald regrets the original characterization of Messrs. de Clermont-Tonnerre and Lowe and apologizes for any reputational harm, personal inconvenience or embarrassment this may have caused. The online version of the article has been updated to reflect this retraction.”

The retraction was issued following a formal defamation complaint lodged against the Herald. Jay Weaver, who wrote the original article, and Curtis Morgan, the editor responsible for it, are no longer with the Miami Herald.

In November 2020, journalist Daisy Olivera profiled Justin and Soledad Lowe for INDULGE, the Miami Herald’s luxury lifestyle magazine, in a feature photographed by Nick Garcia. The piece, titled “How this Miami couple transformed a minimalist space into an interior as regal as it is inviting,” explored the couple’s approach to art collecting, interior design and their life between Miami, New York and Geneva.

Soledad Lowe, Argentine-born and raised in Sweden from the age of four, brought to the apartment an eye shaped by a lifetime alongside her father, a sculptor with commissions from the Vatican and the Swedish royal house. Trained in gemology in London and jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, she worked at Christie’s in London and New York, the Stockholm Auction House and with the Swedish Court jeweler before establishing her own jewelry practice. Her eponymous collection has been featured in magazines, music videos and film.

Justin, American-Swiss, was born in Japan and raised across Portugal, France and Switzerland before reading Economics and International Relations at the London School of Economics and completing an MBA at Columbia Business School. Together they have built a collection of contemporary and historical works, acquired during years of travel across Latin America, Asia and Europe, with a particular interest in supporting artists with roots in the cities where they live.

“When we travel we buy things that have meaning or are historically interesting, then figure out where to put them,” Soledad said. “We also love to support local artists and many have become friends.”

The couple are well-known in philanthropic and social circles in Miami, New York and internationally. Justin serves on the board of the Surfrider Foundation Miami Chapter; Soledad on the committees of United Way and The Bass Museum. Together they support the Fit for Life Foundation, which promotes healthy ageing and independent mobility worldwide.

In 2017, Miami Magazine selected Justin Lowe for its annual Men of the Moment feature, profiling him in a section titled “The Newcomer.” The piece introduced a former New Yorker who had settled his family in Miami and was building Gardiner Investments from there.

“When people ask me what I do as the founder and managing partner of Gardiner Investments, the simple answer is that I manage a firm that makes a range of investments globally, principally in private equity and hedge funds.”

On the commitment to Miami’s cultural life: “Something that was very important for us in moving here was to maintain the connection to the arts that we had in Manhattan, where we lived for 15 years, so we’ve made it a point to do our part to help new cultural establishments grow and thrive by supporting them.”

“I have lived in eight countries, and I can honestly say that I have never been so warmly welcomed as in Miami.”