EXCLUSIVE: Former Interior Department Lawyer Reports $190,000 Lobbying Treasury, Pentagon for Cuba Mining Deal

William Doffermyre, who resigned as the Interior Department's top lawyer in May, has registered as a lobbyist for the family office of Ray Washburne and reported $190,000 in income for work on a planned purchase of a company that mines critical minerals in Cuba, according to federal lobbying filings reviewed by The Digital Free Press.

Doffermyre's firm, Judgment Premium Advisors, LLC of Dallas, filed a registration on Tuesday, Oct. 20, naming Gillon Capital, LLC as its client. The filing describes the work as "Seeking licenses, waivers and other policy and/or funding support relating to a potential acquisition of a foreign company that mines critical minerals in Cuba." Doffermyre is the only lobbyist listed.

The registration lists three past government jobs for Doffermyre: Solicitor of the Department of the Interior; senior adviser in the White House Office; and vice president and general counsel of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the former U.S. development finance agency.

The first version of the registration gave July 1, 2026, as its effective date. An amended registration filed the same day moved that date to June 1, 2026.

$190,000 Over Two Quarters

Also on Oct. 20, the firm filed two quarterly lobbying reports for Gillon Capital. The second-quarter report lists $40,000 in income and says Doffermyre lobbied the Treasury Department and the Executive Office of the President. The third-quarter report lists $150,000 in income and adds the Department of Defense and the Export-Import Bank of the United States to the agencies contacted.

The filings do not name the foreign company and do not say which licenses, waivers or funding are being sought.

Gillon Capital and the Sherritt Deal

Gillon Capital is the family office of the Washburne family, The Canadian Press reported in May. The Canadian Press reported that Ray Washburne was appointed by President Donald Trump to head the U.S. development bank from 2017 to 2019.

In May, Gillon signed a non-binding term sheet with Canadian miner Sherritt International, whose Moa Nickel operations are in Cuba. Under the term sheet, Gillon Capital would own 55% of Sherritt's common shares if a warrant is exercised in full, according to Sherritt.

E&E News reported on May 26 that Doffermyre had resigned as Interior solicitor and would work as a consultant on a plan to rescue a Canadian mining company caught up in U.S. sanctions on Cuba. That report did not mention a lobbying registration.

On Oct. 20, Sherritt announced that it had received a specific license from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control allowing the purchase and delivery of fuel, fuel oil and sulfur to its Moa Nickel operations. Sherritt said it "prepared and submitted its requests for the OFAC emergency licenses in close coordination with Gillon Capital" and that the fuel license is the first of a series of licenses needed before Gillon could acquire a controlling interest. The lobbying filings list the Treasury Department as an agency contacted but do not mention OFAC or Sherritt by name.

The Digital Free Press found no news coverage of the registration or the $190,000 in reported income before publication, beyond a one-line listing of new registrations in a trade newsletter.

The Digital Free Press reached out to Doffermyre, the Treasury Department and the Export-Import Bank of the United States for comment on Oct. 23; no response was received by publication.

Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press

Hold Everyone Accountable.

Sources: Lobbying registration, Judgment Premium Advisors for Gillon Capital (filed Oct. 20, 2026): https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/02173eab-4159-4d66-b970-031c0ea5812c/print/ Source: Amended registration (filed Oct. 20, 2026): https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/e24db8fc-da52-44d5-a719-2f101e190200/print/ Source: Second-quarter 2026 lobbying report: https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/629c599f-2eb9-4f16-a4c0-3e033885dc8c/print/ Source: Third-quarter 2026 lobbying report: https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/50d36550-f53f-4595-b7b4-7e2a10268875/print/ Source: Sherritt International, fuel license release: https://sherritt.com/sherritt-provides-updates-on-operations-and-financial-position/ Source: Sherritt International, term sheet release: https://sherritt.com/sherritt-provides-further-update-on-activities-in-cuba-announces-non-binding-term-sheet-and-positive-engagement-with-department-of-state/ Source: The Canadian Press via Times Colonist: https://www.timescolonist.com/national-business/sherritt-signs-preliminary-deal-to-sell-majority-stake-in-company-12305271 Source: E&E News, May 26, 2026: https://www.eenews.net/articles/interior-solicitor-exits-to-consult-for-cuban-mining-deal/ Source: Politico Influence, Oct. 21, 2026: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2026/10/21/your-q3-k-street-rankings-01130764