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Another Blow To SEC As Court Rejects SEC’s Request to Bar Amici and Attorney Deaton from Proceedings in Ripple Lawsuit

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U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres has denied the Securities and Exchange Commission’s request to revoke Amici Curiae’s status. 


The court also denied the SEC’s move to have Amici’s lawyer; attorney John Deaton barred from participating in further proceedings of the lawsuit. 

It can be recalled that on October 4, 2021, the court granted Movants, which consists of six individual XRP holders, to act as Amici Curiae and participate in certain legal briefings in the case as approved by the court. 

Earlier this year, the movants through attorney Deaton, requested leave to file an Amicus brief regarding a motion to exclude one of SEC’s experts. 

Brawl Over Amici Participation in Upcoming Daubert Challenge

Amici’s request to participate in the upcoming Daubert challenge did not sit well with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

The federal agency objected to the request, asking the court to not only deny the motion but to ban Movants and Amici from participating in further proceedings in the lawsuit. 

The SEC’s request sparked reactions from Ripple and Amici’s attorney, with both parties asking the court not to heed the agency’s call. 

Judge Torres’ Ruling

Interestingly, the court is not in any mood to have Amici and their attorney threw out of the case as their assistance may be needed in the latter stages of the lawsuit. 

However, Judge Torres noted that the court would not benefit from Movants’ assistance in evaluating whether the SEC’s expert is qualified. 

“Here, the court finds that it would not benefit from movants’ assistance in evaluating the qualifications of the SEC’s expert,” an excerpt of Judge Torres’ ruling reads. 

While the judge in charge of the lawsuit does not believe Amici’s contributions will be needed to evaluate the qualifications of the SEC’s expert, she noted that their assistance will be beneficial during the briefing on dispositive motions.  

“Movants may file an application to brief their concerns regarding the SEC’s expert and other relevant and helpful matters, concerning the parties’ contemplated motions for summary judgment,” Judge Torres said. 

Attorney Deaton Blasted the SEC and Hinman

Yesterday, attorney Deaton bashed SEC for requesting that the court bar him from further proceedings in the Ripple lawsuit. 

Attorney Deaton noted that he has not committed a crime that is capable of removing him from participating any further in the lawsuit. 

He slammed the SEC for the way it has conducted itself throughout the lawsuit, especially the agency’s continuous double standard practice. 

Additionally, he also seized the opportunity to bring the court’s attention to William Hinman’s conflict of interest during his tenure as the SEC’s former director of Corporate Finance.

As TheCryptoBasic reported earlier, Hinman was still having a series of meetings with his former employer Simpson Thatcher while he was heading the SEC’s Corporate Finance division. 

Hinman’s affiliation with Simpson Thatcher, a legal firm linked to Ethereum, is believed to have contributed to his June 18, 2018 speech, where ETH was declared as a non-security. 

XRP Network Hits Another Milestone As Number Of Active Unique Addresses Spike To Record Levels

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Unique XRP active addresses surpass 247k in just 4 hours.



Santiment Feed, in a tweet on Tuesday, reveals that there continues to be interesting activity on the XRP network as the number of active unique addresses surpassed 247k in 4 hours for the first time since February 2020, even as new addresses continue to be created at a steady rate.

“XRP Network has just hit a huge milestone. The amount of unique addresses currently interacting on the network has exceeded 247k in just a 4-hour window. This is the highest spike recorded since February, 2020. New $XRP addresses created remains steady,” Santiment tweeted.

While Santiment does not specify the catalyst for this latest activity, it is worth noting that there has been a flurry of positives for Ripple and the XRP network in recent times. Notably, XRP is seeing global adoption. In addition, as reported by The Crypto Basic, Ripple has entered a partnership with Singapore payments giant FOMO pay to allow them to make instant treasury settlements leveraging Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) using XRP as a bridge between currencies.

Notably, the XRP network continues to show strong on-chain fundamentals on par with levels seen before it got tied up in a legal battle with the US SEC. As the conclusion of the almost 2-year-long legal battle draws nearer, several crypto community members expect a win for the blockchain payment giant, even as CEO Brad Garlinghouse says the law is on their side.

It is worth noting that a win for Ripple could have significant positive implications for the XRP token. Several US-based crypto exchanges that had to cease XRP trading activity due to the legal battle are likely to resume.

At the time of writing, the XRP token is trading at the $0.3367 price point, up 0.62% in the last 24 hours but down 10.65% in the last seven days. Notably, the price of crypto assets continues to suffer in the face of a tough macroeconomic outlook as the markets await the rates decision of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) later today.

Dogecoin Creator Says Chipotle Including Doge In Its Giveaway Shows ‘Doge Is One Of The Most Recognizable Crypto’

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Billy Markus is excited about Chipotle support.



In a tweet on Tuesday, Dogecoin co-creator Billy Markus expressed excitement over the inclusion of Dogecoin in the ongoing Chipotle $200k crypto giveaway noting that it confirms DOGE as one of the most popular cryptocurrencies today.

“i think it’s cool that doge was included! further emphasizes that doge is one of the most recognizable cryptos in existence,” Markus wrote in the tweet.

As reported by The Crypto Basic on Tuesday, Chipotle, an American fast food chain famous for its Mexican cuisine, revealed that it would be following up its support for crypto payments with a $200k crypto giveaway, offering prizes in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, and Dogecoin to gain even more popularity in the crypto community.

It is worth noting that though Markus no longer works on the Dogecoin project and has often openly talked about his dislike for the cult following and speculation in crypto, still he continues to show support for DOGE. In addition, Markus has often encouraged the Dogecoin community to remain fun and not get sucked into focusing only on price movements.

Notably, Markus’s latest statements closely mirror the reason given by billionaire Elon Musk for his continued support of the token. Speaking with Bloomberg in Doha, Musk, who often calls DOGE the currency of the people, noted that he knows a lot of people who are not necessarily wealthy that love the meme token.

Recently the world’s richest man Elon Musk also praised Doge’s founder, saying, “Marcus is a humble person, adding that his humility and irreverence are among the reasons why many people love and adopt Dogecoin.”

Dogecoin, in recent weeks, has boasted impressive metrics with increased activity on the network even as it launched a new core upgrade. At the time of writing, Dogecoin is trading at the $0.06224 price point, up 0.30% in the last 24 hours but down 11.63% in the last seven days.

Leading Cryptocurrency Exchange Bitrue to Stake 1 Million ADA Across Top Cardano Staking Pools  

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Bitrue wants to boost the decentralization of Cardano v the initiative.


Popular cryptocurrency exchange Bitrue has announced a staking initiative that will support Cardano’s (ADA) decentralization.

The leading exchange noted that it would contribute 1 million ADA, worth around $455,000, to various Cardano staking pools. 

Bitrue shared a Google Form link where members of the Cardano community can identify some of the top ADA staking pools. 

Cardano’s Total Value Locked (TVL) Still Looks Good Despite Crypto Price Dip 

The prices of all major cryptocurrency assets, including Cardano (ADA), have plummeted heavily this week following growing concern over rising inflation. In the last 24 hours alone, ADA is down 7.2%. It is noteworthy that the value of the entire crypto market continues to plunge.  

According to data provided by Cardano Daily on Twitter, the fall in ADA price did not harm the network’s Total Value Locked (TVL). 

Cardano TVL Holding Strong Amid ADA Price Crash

“The market had been through a tough week when BTC declined as quickly as it rose. However, it seemed not to affect the TVL of @cardano at all,” Cardano Daily tweeted. 

The media outlet also included an image of Cardano’s TVL in the last seven days, showing the performance of all protocols on the network in the last seven days. 

Popular Cardano decentralized exchange WingRiders still rank as the top protocol with the highest TVL on the blockchain. Per the data, WingRiders volume has surged 1.64% in the last seven days. 

Miniswap sits second in the ranking, and its TVL has soared 9.66% in the past week. The third decentralized exchange in the ranking is SundaeSwap, which saw its TVL plunge 2.52% in the past seven days. 

Mueliswap and Lending Pond recorded an increase in their TVL, representing 1.06% and 4.45%, respectively. 

The total value locked on MeowswapFi is down 13.78%, while FluidTokens’ TVL spiked 3.94% in the past week. Interestingly, the Cardano protocol that surged the highest in TVL in the last seven days is ADAX Pro. The decentralized exchange saw its TVL soar 121% in the last seven days. 

The data suggests that funds are still being locked in the ecosystem despite the fall in ADA prices. 

5.34M Unique Addresses, 284M Transactions, Transaction Cost Falling 49% As Polygon Release Q2 Stats

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Polygon Has Released Q2 Stats For Its Network, And They Look Promising, With A 12% Increase In Unique Addresses.


Polygon blockchain network has released its network statistics for the 2022 second quarter, and things are looking up.

The crypto winter has been tough on the market, but it appears that some crypto networks like polygon (the creator of Matic) haven’t experienced a bad effect despite the coin values going down. Polygon took to twitter to share details of the released stats.

 

From the look of it, it seems that Polygon has excelled in a number of fields, possibly making it one of the fastest growing blockchain networks in 2022.

Transaction Volume And Cost Has Decreased

Polygon now has 5.34 Million unique addresses, an increase of 12% from Q1. According to the details released, Polygon’s total transaction volume in Q2 has spiked by 4% as compared to Q1. The average transaction cost has also decreased by around 49%, a huge reduction especially considering that the entire crypto market has been on a downward move since the start of the year in Q1. The average transaction cost during Q2 was around $0.018.

As such, transaction volumes appeared to increase while costs decreased during the darkest period in the crypto winter. That may suggest that users were ditching other platforms for Polygon. During Q2, the network collected revenue amounting to around $5.56 million.

DeFi Exploded

During Q2, DeFi projects hosted on Polygon increased. Bungee Exchange saw its transaction volume grow by over 970%, while its customer base increased by more than 1,000%. Transaction volumes on Meshswap increased to over 1.6 million, and its user base increased by 92,000 after the deployment of OnPolygon. Meanwhile, QuickSwap DEX dominated with 4.52 transactions and 382k users.

NFTs Built Up

The gaming and NFT space on Polygon also saw a spike during Q2. Around 1.2 million new NFT wallets were created on the Open Sea. Minting transactions grew to 66.6 million, recording a 50% increase.

Developers Joining The Platform Increased By Over 300%

Besides all that, it appears that Polygon has become the new go-to place for blockchain developers. Over the Q2 period, the network experienced an addition of over 90,500 new developers, with over 1,000 devs joining the network each day.

According to a tweet by Polygon, increased developer activity on the network is an extremely bullish signal that could indicate an oncoming bullish move for Matic. Matic is the native crypto coin used on Polygon. Bascially, Polygon did great in Q2 despite the severe crypto winter that affected the entire market.

CHIPOTLE, A New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Is Giving Away $200K In Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Dogecoin

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A world-class food company is dishing out crypto rewards adding up to $200k.


Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG)) is a popular food company that accepts crypto payments and now encouraging customers to “buy the dip.” The payments are facilitated through a partnership with Flexa, a crypto payment gateway. Customers can pay for their food at Chipotle using various cryptos supported by Flexa.

The company enables its customers to use more than 90 different cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, and Ethereum, to pay for food at Chipotle with a Flexa-enabled app.

According to the press release, the company now plans to dole out crypto rewards to the tune of $200k, focusing on particular cryptos – Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin. The giveaways can be accessed through a “buy the dip” game hosted at https://www.chipotlebuythedip.xyz. The promotion will run from 10 am PT on July 25 to 6 pm PT on July 31st.

How To Earn Rewards

The promo is meant to prop up cryptos and boost Chipotle’s fandom in the crypto sphere.

Chipotle’s marketing officer, Chris Brandt, said,

“We want to build the next generation of Chipotle fandom by connecting with the Web3 community. We’re excited to bring positivity to the crypto conversation by empowering fans to ‘Buy The Dip.'”

To win, a customer will need to follow a few simple steps.

  • Go to the game at the given site and create a chipotle reward account to play “buy the dip.”
  • Users can  “How To Play” screen for instructions on playing the game. After reading the guide, click “play now.”
  • Clicking the “start” button prompts the system to create a crypto chart line.
  • Next, click the “buy the dip” button to enter the draw to win the rewards.
  • After winning, players can “claim” or “swap” their rewards if they want to try for another win. If not, they can “try again.”

There are three special chances for each player to win every day.

A Breakdown Of Chipotle Giveaways

Rewards available for winning include crypto prizes in Ethereum, Bitcoin, Avalanche, Dogecoin, and Solana. The company plans to reward around 500 players between July 25th and 31st.

In general, there will be:

  • $10k in BTC, with five players winning $2k each every day.
  • $5k in ETH, with five players winning $1k each every day.
  • $1,250 in SOL, with five players winning $250 each every day.
  • $3,000 in AVA, with 20 players winning $150 each every day.
  • $3,000 in DOGE, with 20 players winning $150 each every day.

The remainder of the reward will be distributed among the last winners on Sunday, July 31st. 

New Bitcoin, Cardano, Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche Exchange-Traded Products Launch on Germany’s Exchange

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Trading for Valour’s Eight Crypto ETPs Commence on Germany’s Lang and Schwarz Exchange.


Valour Inc., a capital market company, has announced that eight of its cryptocurrency exchange-traded products have commenced trading on the Germany-based Lang and Schwarz Exchange.

Per a press release today, the Valour cryptocurrency exchange-traded products that began trading on Lang and Schwarz include the firm’s flagship products – Bitcoin Zero and Ethereum Zero. 

Even though competitors charge up to 2.5% management fees, Valour’s Bitcoin and Ethereum products are fully-hedged and fee-free.

Additionally, the other cryptocurrency ETPs launched by the company include Valour Cardano (ADA) ETP, Solana (SOL) ETP, Uniswap (UNI) ETP, Polkadot (DOT), Cosmos (ATOM) ETP, and Avalanche (AVAX) ETP. 

Valour noted that trading of Enjin ETP will commence later this week. 

Commenting on the development, Tommy Fransson, CEO of Valour ETPs, said: 

“Listing our products on the LS Exchange is a natural step in our process to increase our footprint in the German market. The LS Exchange is a very well-used platform and will support our distribution power and commercial possibilities.”  

Fransson noted that launching the eight cryptocurrency exchange-traded products on the exchange is imperative to helping Valour expand its product range to a larger investment community. 

Features of Valour’s Crypto ETPs

According to the announcement, traditional investors who want to gain exposure to the aforementioned crypto assets can do so without incurring much risk. 

Notably, for each of the Valour ETPs traded on the exchange, the capital markets company would also buy or sell the equivalent amount of the underlying asset class. Thus implying that the cryptocurrency ETPs are fully backed. 

It is worth noting that all Valour’s digital asset ETPs are offered at low to zero management fees. The company’s products are listed across four major exchanges, including the Lang and Schwarz Exchange. 

About Lang and Schwarz Exchange

Meanwhile, Lang and Schwarz Exchange offers investors the opportunity to trade derivative financial products in Germany. Launched in 1996, the exchange is located in Düsseldorf, Germany. 

Some of the products listed on the Lang and Schwarz platform for OTC trading include bonds, stocks, ETPs, and funds. 

Welfare Developments To Launch The First Ever Bitcoin Sky Mansion In Dubai

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The World’s first BTC sky mansion available for fractional ownership is being launched in Dubai.



Bitcoin seems to be gaining more momentum after years of apathy against it by governments, people, and institutions. That has hanged over the last few years, and now, a new investment dimension is being conceived. According to recent reports by Khaleej times, Dubai is slated to host the first ever Bitcoin Sky Mansion, a one-of-kind structure that will be floated in the market for fractional ownership.

Fractional ownership means that investors will be able to purchase a share of the building in terms of Bitcoin. The building will be inaugurated by Welfare Developments in partnership with Propchain, an entity that facilitates real estate investments across the world via digital means.

Facing Burj Khalifa

The interesting part about the Bitcoin Sky Mansion is its striking architecture and strategic placement with the city of Dubai. Dubai is part of the United Arab Emirates, and it’s one of the top spots where new technologies are highly appreciated. It’s no surprise that the BSM is getting set up in Dubai.

The 6,000sq building stands in the middle of the rich city, with its three floors towering over the popular Boulevard Point. From the balcony, a clear view of the city’s pride, Burj Khalifa, is breathtaking. Each room in the Bitcoin Sky Mansion is branded “BTC,” giving off the vibe of space highly receptive to cryptos and especially in love with Bitcoin. The building is almost complete and will be ready for occupation and fractional ownership in the next few weeks. That’s according to the CEO of Propchain, Robin Baghs.

A Big Step In BTC Popularity

The inauguration of such an attention-catching building in the middle of one of the most popular cities on the planet could be a great contribution to the crypto industry and the Bitcoin community in particular. Bitcoin is bound to be more popular by this measure and possibly score great adoption and acceptance across the world. This could translate into an impressive price action sometime in the future. 

NFTpay: The Basics of Non-Fungible Tokens

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are a form of cryptocurrency, deployed on a blockchain. They are a way to pay for exclusive content, can be purchased using a credit card, and are deployed on a global network of servers. This article will explain the basics of NFTs, which you can also learn here: Wikipedia, including their use in e-commerce. Moreover, we’ll look at their deployment on a blockchain, and how they can benefit businesses and consumers.

NFTs Are a “Non-Fungible Token”

The price of NFTs is based on the demand for them, not what they are worth. This means that a person who has one NFT might be able to resell it for less than they paid for it if they sold another NFT. Likewise, a person who has several NFTs may be able to sell them to each other through wallet-to-wallet transactions.

They have many potential uses. A company like Nike has a patent on this type of token, and it can help the company authenticate sneakers. It could also serve as proof of ownership for physical items. Ultimately, these blockchain-based tokens are promising for cutting out the middleman and making it much easier to sell items online.

In the digital art world, NFTs are taking the world by storm. Celebrities are joining in the crypto-audience, and digital artists are seeing huge sales. These new platforms can be used to represent unique assets like artworks and collectibles. Ultimately, NFTs will open up new markets and simplify transactions for everyone involved.

Another great feature of NFTs is that they can easily be proven to be owned. Proving that someone owns an NFT is a very simple process, just like proving that you own ETH. It involves using a public address to transfer a unique NFT into your wallet. This token then proves that the copy is the original. If the person owns the private key, they can prove that they own the original.

They Can Be Bought with a Credit Card

A major cryptocurrency exchange, OpenSea, will soon allow you to buy NFT with a credit card or debit card. The move comes after the company announced a partnership with MoonPay, a firm that builds payment infrastructure in the crypto space and has helped celebrities buy NFTs.

This move could be a direct attempt by OpenSea to attract mainstream buyers of non-fungible tokens. Since OpenSea has made many crypto headlines in recent months, it is likely a move to reach more mainstream audiences.

They Can Be Used to Purchase Exclusive Content

In essence, NFTs are simply entries on the blockchain. The content linked to these tokens is the NFT. While this may seem like an oversimplification, NFTs are essentially the same as the rights an artist has in his work.

For instance, an artist can sell a Monet print, but only one person can own the original. The government monitors these types of transactions for legitimacy, which you can learn more about by clicking here and reading their website. NFTs are much more permanent than regular servers, but this does not mean that they are free from piracy.

They Are Deployed on a “Blockchain”

There are new companies dealing in blockchain every day. The name NFTpay comes from its use of a cryptographic protocol called ‘blockchain’. This is the same protocol that bitcoin uses to store digital assets, such as music, movies, and books. As a result, the NFT is also a cryptographic representation of the actual asset.

Although the cryptographic link between an asset and its token is a permanent record, this transfer of rights happens on an individual basis, as a contract between a buyer and a seller. This makes the range of rights that flow with an NFT practically limitless.

Tokens, or non-fungible tokens, are essentially coded assets that are deployed on a blockchain. Their primary value is in their ownership. Only one wallet can own an NFT at a time. Because of this, NFTs have a perceived value in the marketplace. Tokens also allow developers to add additional utility to them, such as a virtual asset, which can be traded.

Because these digital assets can change and be deleted on the blockchain, it is important to remember that they can be stored on a separate global network. This will ensure greater security and persistence. This is particularly important in the case of NFTpay, since it will store all of its user’s data in a decentralized fashion.

You Can Use Them for Bank Transfers

In the past, Bitcoin merchants have largely relied on Bank Transfer to settle transactions, but now, they’re leveraging cryptocurrency to settle transactions. For example, Coinbase announced its partnership with Mastercard to allow NFT marketplace users to pay with their credit cards. Currently, customers must load their blockchain wallets in order to use these services.

Although the process for buying NFTs is increasingly user-friendly, it is still incredibly complicated and costly, which discourages traditional investors, who might prefer the security of stable dollar-pegged tokens. Fortunately, there are some major players who are embracing this new form of payment, such as Circle, which recently announced an end-to-end payments solution for NFT marketplaces.

In addition to being widely accepted for online purchases, Bank Transfer is an ideal payment solution for NFTs. NFT Checkout was created for brands, creators, and marketplaces. It’s also the first payment solution to accept credit card payments for NFTs. Until now, buying NFTs has been extremely complicated, as it requires the buyer to first purchase crypto to make the transaction. Then, he or she has to make a second transaction and double the fees.

The World Wildlife Fund is already experimenting with the MoonPay payment solution for its NFT collection. Other partners have also begun pilot programs with this new solution. Even NFL quarterback Tom Brady is experimenting with the service. MoonPay is a cryptocurrency company founded in 2019 and serves as an ‘on-ramp’ for crypto purchases. It has over 250 clients in 160 countries and has closed a $555 million fundraise in October 2021.

Famous Terra Whistleblower FatMan Joining Class Action Lawsuit By Top Law Firm to Bring Do Kwon to Justice

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Terra’s CEO’s legal battle heightens as Terra influencer FatMan announces plans to join the lawsuit slammed by a popular international law firm.  


Do Kwon, the CEO, and founder of TerraForm Labs (TFL), has recently been slammed with various charges. Last month, the TFL boss was slammed with a lawsuit by famous securities and consumer rights litigation firm Scot+Scott Attorneys.  

The international law firm filed the charges in the U.S. on behalf of investors who suffered heavy losses following their investments in Terra ecosystem tokens, UST and LUNA. 

Kwon is accused across various parts of the world of being the major cause of Terra’s implosion. Interestingly, more allegations have surfaced, thus indicting Kwon further for being responsible for the Terra incident. 

With the amount of information gathered so far, the popular Terra influencer who goes by the pseudonym, FatMan, has announced that he will be joining the Scott+Scott Attorneys to prosecute Kwon. 

“We will be joining the class action lawsuit filed in the US by the international law firm Scott+Scott… We are also preparing actions in another jurisdiction. We demand a fair trial to uncover all of TFL & Do Kwon’s wrongdoings and so that justice can take its course,” FatMan added. 

FatMan Changes His Narrative About Kwon 

Contrary to his previous narrative that Terra’s implosion was caused by malefactors, FatMan accused Kwon of being responsible for the collapse of the project. 

The pseudonymous Terra influencer said TFL’s employees had revealed a lot as to what crashed the Terra project, and these revelations have changed his assessment of the entire incident. 

“Employees & insiders from within Terra, Jump, and more stepped forward in private and revealed things that changed my assessment of the situation entirely,” FatMan said. 

Evidence Indicting Kwon

Some insider information disclosed to FatMan includes TFL faking Terra’s transaction volume on the blockchain to give people the impression that there is high demand among investors. 

Other revelations about the Terra project include the fact that Jump Capital secretly provided a bailout for Terra last year, Hashed and TFL manipulating Terra’s Anchor volume to create a “facade of stability,” etc. 

“After hearing insider testimony, researching blockchain transactions, and seeing how Do Kwon had been silently cashing out millions into offshore accounts – one thing was clear. I was wrong. There was no attack. And Terra had been brilliantly disguised fraud all along,” he added. 

FatMan acknowledged the fact that Kwon is a genius. However, he chose to use his genius to create a fraudulent scheme that wreaked havoc on many investors. 

“Instead of using his genius for good, Do use it to create a scheme so convincing, ingeniously mixing in real utility with sheer lies, that it led to not only the downfall of thousands of investors but also some big funds who had been hoodwinked in spite of solid research… But This Is Simply Not Acceptable”

As reported by TheCryptoBasic, Terraform Labs is also Facing Second Class Action Suit In The U.S. By Law Firm Bragar Eagel & Squire.