Featuring “Crypto Critics’ Corner” hosts Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey, and former Terraform Labs employee Hyungsuk Kang.

The past year saw the collapse of a huge variety of frauds, scams, and deeply flawed projects in crypto. Some of the most respected (and consistently correct) scam-spotters in the industry discuss how they identify red flags and dig into the nitty-gritty of uncovering malfeasance. We also meet a special guest – a former employee of one of the most notorious projects to blow up in 2022, who left early because of the bad behavior he saw from the inside. Featuring:

• Bennett Tomlin, co-host of “Crypto Critics’ Corner”
• Cas Piancey, co-host of “Crypto Critics’ Corner”
• Hyungsuk Kang, founder of Standard Protocol and former Terraform Labs employee
• David Z. Morris, CoinDesk chief insights columnists and “Crypto Crooks” host

“Crypto Crooks” is a CoinDesk Podcast Production. The executive producer is Jared Schwartz, with additional production by Eleanor Pahl, Nora Battelle, and Moon Beast. Fact-checking is by Amber Von Schassen, and sound design and music are by Altus Noumena. This show is written and voiced by David Z. Morris.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Time moves faster in crypto. So this week we’re back with a bonus episode on all the lunacy that’s gone down since February.

"Crypto Crooks" is sponsored by Chainalysis.

We’d finished writing and recording this show by February 2023. But February and March were busy months for the Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice and the authorities of Montenegro. They’ve all been going after Do Kwon. And they’ve all had some very interesting successes. 

So, we’re back with a bonus episode. We break down everything that’s happened, explore what it reveals about Do Kwon, his empire and his collaborators, and explore the true extent of one of the most brazen cons in modern financial history.

Episode transcripts are available at coindesk.com/podcasts/crypto-crooks. 

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Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.

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“Crypto Crooks” is a CoinDesk Podcast Production. The executive producer is Jared Schwartz, with additional production by Eleanor Pahl, Nora Battelle, Jonas Huck, and Moon Beast. Fact-checking is by Amber Von Schassen, and sound design and music are by Altus Noumena. This show is written and voiced by David Z. Morris.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the season finale, we look at the man behind the curtain – and tease out just how many crimes he committed.

"Crypto Crooks" is sponsored by Chainalysis.

Do Kwon has evaded, deflected and run away. But his empire’s crimes are like a trail of breadcrumbs, always leading back to him. 

In our season finale, we take stock of Do Kwon’s twisted legacy: the myriad crimes and deceptions he enacted, the system he built to prop them all up and the lies he’s still spouting while running from both nominal responsibility and the law.

But there’s more: stay tuned for a bonus episode. We’re digging into the bombshell updates to the saga since February, when the SEC filed its investment fraud suit against Do Kwon and Terraform Labs.

Clips:

• Pomp & Mike Novogratz Bitcoin Fireside | Bitcoin 2022 Conference
• Do Kwon of Terra: 'It Was Never Really About Money or Fame or Success' - Ep. 408

Episode transcripts are available at coindesk.com/podcasts/crypto-crooks. 

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Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.

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“Crypto Crooks” is a CoinDesk Podcast Production. The executive producer is Jared Schwartz, with additional production by Eleanor Pahl, Nora Battelle, Jonas Huck, and Moon Beast. Fact-checking is by Amber Von Schassen, and sound design and music are by Altus Noumena. This show is written and voiced by David Z. Morris.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week we delve into the underlying mechanisms of terraUSD and how they incentivized experienced investors to drive the stablecoin into a death spiral.

"Crypto Crooks" is sponsored by Chainalysis.

Do Kwon wasn’t creating a new grift. His coin was history, repeated. Financial experts foretold the failure of Do Kwon’s empire from the beginning – because they’d seen it all happen before, at the Bank of England no less. 

In our deep dive into terraUSD, we examine how the death spiral that ate the stablecoin alive was knit into the very fabric of the project. It was no accident, fluke or unexpected occurrence: It was inevitable. 

Next up, our season finale – and then, a bonus episode on the bombshell revelations of an SEC investment suit against Do Kwon, filed this February.

Clip:

• Terraform Labs CEO on US Crypto Regulation: 'It's Not That Interesting' | Video | CoinDesk

Episode transcripts are available at coindesk.com/podcasts/crypto-crooks. 

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Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.

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“Crypto Crooks” is a CoinDesk Podcast Production. The executive producer is Jared Schwartz, with additional production by Eleanor Pahl, Nora Battelle, Jonas Huck, and Moon Beast. Fact-checking is by Amber Von Schassen, and sound design and music are by Altus Noumena. This show is written and voiced by David Z. Morris.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week we delve into terraUSD’s winners, its losers and the rules of the whole twisted game.

"Crypto Crooks" is sponsored by Chainalysis.

TerraUSD and its so-called “ecosystem” were always a game – one only some investors realized they were playing. 

As we fall deeper into the death spiral, we look at the retail investors who were indisputable victims of Do Kwon’s scheme. Many of them lost life savings and even, ultimately, their lives, in the wave of suicides which followed the depeg. We also look at the more complicated role of financial professionals in propping up Do Kwon’s empire, many of whom got out of the racket millions of dollars richer than when they’d gone in. 

After this, two more episodes to come – plus a bonus fifth on the bombshell revelations of a new SEC investment suit against Do Kwon and Terraform labs.

Clips:

• Pomp & Mike Novogratz Bitcoin Fireside | Bitcoin 2022 Conference
• Kyle Davies clip, found by Cas Piancey

Episode transcripts are available at coindesk.com/podcasts/crypto-crooks. 

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Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.

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“Crypto Crooks” is a CoinDesk Podcast Production. The executive producer is Jared Schwartz, with additional production by Eleanor Pahl, Nora Battelle, Jonas Huck, and Moon Beast. Fact-checking is by Amber Von Schassen, and sound design and music are by Altus Noumena. This show is written and voiced by David Z. Morris.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we dig into the rise of Do Kwon, the enormous appeal of his almost magical algorithmic stablecoin – and the far less charmed reality underlying his machinations from the very start.

"Crypto Crooks" is sponsored by Chainalysis.

Do Kwon said he could print money out of thin air. Who could resist a sell like that? 

Welcome back to “Crypto Crooks.” This season, over the course of four episodes plus a bonus fifth on recent developments, we tackle Do Kwon and his so-called algorithmic stablecoin. We’re starting with the seductive appeal of the concept. Everyone, from crypto’s bigwig financiers to hundreds of thousands of retail depositors, was buying into the dream. 

But the fatal flaws of this collective fantasy were evident from the very start. It was only a matter of time before the death spiral began. 

Clip:

• Pomp & Mike Novogratz Bitcoin Fireside Bitcoin 2022 Conference 

Episode transcripts are available at coindesk.com/podcasts/crypto-crooks. 

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Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.

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“Crypto Crooks” is a CoinDesk Podcast Production. The executive producer is Jared Schwartz, with additional production by Eleanor Pahl, Nora Battelle, Jonas Huck, and Moon Beast. Fact-checking is by Amber Von Schassen, and sound design and music are by Altus Noumena. This show is written and voiced by David Z. Morris.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to “Crypto Crooks” Season 2: ”Lunacy: The Rise and Fall of Do Kwon."

"Crypto Crooks" is sponsored by Chainalysis.

Crypto's biggest names thought Do Kwon and his algorithmic stablecoin would take them to the promised land. But then terraUSD slipped from its dollar peg by just one cent. Everything unraveled. $60 billion, vaporized. Life savings, obliterated. A wave of suicides across the globe. And that was just the beginning.

You know the name. You know the memes. But do you know the real story? Welcome to “Crypto Crooks” Season 2: ”Lunacy: The Rise and Fall of Do Kwon”, launching Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 5 a.m. ET. Follow and subscribe to “Crypto Crooks” wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.

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“Crypto Crooks” is a CoinDesk Podcast Production. The executive producer is Jared Schwartz, with additional production by Eleanor Pahl, Nora Battelle, Jonas Huck, and Moon Beast. Fact-checking is by Amber Von Schassen, and sound design and music are by Altus Noumena. This show is written and voiced by David Z. Morris.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, in the last episode of the season, we look at the methodical, often slow progress of justice, and pull at one final thread: the ominous connections between BitConnect and India’s ruling party, the conservative BJP.

"Crypto Crooks" is sponsored by Chainalysis.

BitConnect’s nefarious tentacles reached across the world. So did the impact of its downfall and the fates of its architects. 

In our season finale, we take stock of the BitConnect saga, from the legal fallout to the implications for crypto at large. We also take one last glance backward to think about why it all happened … and whether there might have been an invisible hand pulling the strings. 

Clip:

• Gujarat Bitcoin Scam: AICC Press Briefing By Shaktisinh Gohil at Congress HQ

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Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, Web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.

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“Crypto Crooks” is a CoinDesk Podcast Production. The executive producer is Jared Schwartz, with additional production by Eleanor Pahl, Rob Mitchell, Nora Battelle, Jonas Huck, and Moon Beast. Fact-checking is by Amber Von Schassen, and sound design and music are by Altus Noumena. This show is written and voiced by David Z. Morris.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we meet the online influencers who enticed victims into the BitConnect farce, and the pyramid-scheme model that allowed them to make millions doing it. 

"Crypto Crooks" is sponsored by Chainalysis.

It takes a village to scam the world. Or at least some YouTube channels. 

In the penultimate episode of “Crypto Crooks: BitConnect,” we talk to Scott Shaffer, who kept close tabs on the BitConnect team both before and after the collapse on his YouTube Channel, “Crypto Jedi.” He watched a series of charismatic, powerful YouTubers invite viewers into their pyramid scheme, getting richer with every fish they caught. And ultimately, he watched their greatest coup of all: turning their victims … into scammers themselves. 

Clips: 

• BitConnect Annual Ceremony 2017
• What happened to Carlos Matos and Bitconnect?
• TREVON JAMES: MY FINAL BITCONNECT RANT! 
• THE TRUTH About BitConnect, CryptoNick, Trevon James, and Craig Grant 

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Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, Web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.

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“Crypto Crooks” is a CoinDesk Podcast Production. The executive producer is Jared Schwartz, with additional production by Eleanor Pahl, Rob Mitchell, Nora Battelle, Jonas Huck, and Moon Beast. Fact-checking is by Amber Von Schassen, and sound design and music are by Altus Noumena. This show is written and voiced by David Z. Morris.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we explore the intricate interplay of events that led to BitConnect’s dramatic decline, and the case of the missing woman just left of center of the scheme.

"Crypto Crooks" is sponsored by Chainalysis.

It takes a lot of concurrent factors to topple an empire – even a fraudulent one. 

As we continue the sordid tale of BitConnect’s rise and demise, we talk to early skeptic @BCCPonzi about the financial, technical and plain common-sense issues that plagued BitConnect’s premise from the beginning. We also delve into what exactly happened to Madeline Bigatton, the wife of a BitConnect sales bigwig who mysteriously disappeared off the cliffs of Australia. 

Clips:

• BitConnect Annual Ceremony 2017
• Bitcoin swindle: the mystery behind John Bigatton's role in the BitConnect scheme | 7NEWS Spotlight

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Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, Web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.

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“Crypto Crooks” is a CoinDesk Podcast Production. The executive producer is Jared Schwartz, with additional production by Eleanor Pahl, Rob Mitchell, Nora Battelle, Jonas Huck, and Moon Beast. Fact-checking is by Amber Von Schassen, and sound design and music are by Altus Noumena. This show is written and voiced by David Z. Morris.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.