Crypto Critics' Corner

Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin are joined by Andrew Bailey, author of Resistance Money, to discuss Tether on Tron and Bitcoin. This video was recorded on September 9th 2024. Resistance Money Patrick McKenzie and Tyler Cowen podcast Cas Piancey and PJ Vogt podcast Bennett's newsletter about Craig Wright Bennett's article about Fei Bennett's newsletter about Terra-Luna

Bennett and Cas discuss the tools they use to investigate various frauds and scams. Coverage from Protos of an entity fraudulently pretending to be associated with Tether can be found here. Here's a list of tools used in this episode: OpenCorporates Companies House EDGAR FinCEN Crunchbase RECAP PACER The New York Times Wayback Machine BuiltWith Etherscan BreadCrumbs Some other episodes of CCC mentioned can be found here: Episode 56 – This Man Murders Scams (Feat. ZachXBT) Episode 100 – A Skeptic's Guide to Skepticism Episode 127 - Let's Talk About Number Go Up (Feat. Zeke Faux) Playlist of videos about Bitfinex and Tether This episode was recorded on July 11th and 16th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Travis Kimmel to discuss the purpose and role of venture capital. This video was recorded on May 9th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss DJT, which is not Donald Trump's official token, and it seems likely Barron will not even claim this mess that Martin Shkreli embroiled them all in. Protos Reporting on DJT Cas' Op-Ed on Pirate Wires Daniel Kuhn's Article for The Block This video was recorded on June 22nd, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss Justin Sun's empire, and the fact that he does not seem to have enough money. Additional resources: Protos coverage of Poloniex and WBTC Protos coverage of USDD reserves at HTX Protos coverage of TrueUSD market-cap collapse Protos coverage of false Diplomatic Immunity Protos reporting on stUSDT This episode was recorded on May 1st, 2024.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Vincent Woo to discuss Effective Altruism and Effective Accelerationism. ⁠Vincent Woo 's video about Honest Charlie⁠ ⁠Vincent's reporting on Lambda School⁠ ⁠Vincent's Twitter⁠ This episode was recorded on May 1st, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss the sentencing of Changpeng Zhao and what it means for the cryptocurrency industry, along with comparing it to the outcome for cryptocurrency exchange fraud Sam Bankman-Fried. This video was recorded on May 6th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss the ongoing struggles of regional banking in the United States, and why these issues with the system persist. This video was recorded on March 6th, 2024.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Ed Zitron to discuss how Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss portray themselves as the regulated alternative, but frequently flout the rules. Additional resources: Ed's newsletter about Gemini Earn Better Offline HTX is probably insolvent This episode was recorded on March 12th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss a class action lawsuit against Deltec Bank and Trust in the Bahamas that alleges that it was instrumental in moving customer funds from FTX to Alameda Research. Coverage of the lawsuit the lawsuit Farmington State response Coindesk coverage of Alameda Research insolvency Affidavit in support of MUFG seizure This episode was recorded on March 6th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss the indictment of Changpeng Zhao and the Deferred Prosecution Agreement for Binance. Read coverage of charges here. This episode was recorded on February 10th, 2024.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Molly White to discuss Andreessen Horowitz GP Chris Dixon's new book: Read, Write, Own. Read Molly's review of Dixon's book here and check out her archival cryptocurrency news site here. Read Protos' article about how a16z gamed the NYT Bestseller List here. Read Motherboard's article about how many copies of Read, Write, Own were bulk purchased here. This episode was recorded on February 10th, 2024.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the history and present of Tether, the most important firm in all of cryptocurrency. This video was recorded on February 4th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Patrick McKenzie of Bits About Money to discuss why cryptocurrency is not a solution for the problems of payments. Bits About Money Patrick McKenzie Twitter Protos coverage of Moonstone Cease and Desist Federal Reserve Cease and Desist for Moonstone Bennett's video about Cash App/Interchange Fees/Durbin Amendment This video was recorded on October 12th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Elizabeth Lopatto of the Verge to discuss Sam Bankman-Fried's conviction. Sam Bankman-Fried gambled on a trial and his parents lost Elizabeth Lopatto's Coverage at The Verge Cas' review of Going Infinite Protos coverage of the trial This video was recorded on November 6th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas discuss Wyre, another cryptocurrency payments processor involved with fraud. Protos coverage of Ryan Breslow's many disasters Protos coverage of Wyre problems This episode was recorded on October 20th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Molly White (@molly0xfff) to discuss the ongoing testimony of Sam Bankman-Fried. Molly's newsletter Web3 is Going Great Protos Coverage of the Trial This video was recorded on November 1st, 2023.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Sam Kessler from CoinDesk to discuss the witnesses that the defense has been calling to the stand, including Sam Bankman-Fried. CoinDesk trial coverage: https://www.coindesk.com/sam-bankman-fried-trial-live-coverage-news/ Protos trial coverage: https://protos.com/sbftrial/ SBF's Kamikaze Defense: https://protos.com/sam-bankman-frieds-kamikaze-defense/ The Jury Finally Hears from SBF by Liz Lopatto: https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/27/23935683/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-fraud-direct-testimony-jury This episode was recorded on October 28th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Katie Baker, a journalist at The Ringer, to discuss her time spent at the trial, how social media and sh*tposting are playing a role, and her most recent article, which encapsulates the story unfolding better than anything written thus far. Read Katie's article here: https://www.theringer.com/tech/2023/10/16/23919236/sam-bankman-fried-sbf-trial-caroline-ellison-testimony-ftx-cryptocurrency

Bennett and Cas are joined by Danny Nelson of CoinDesk to discuss the ongoing trial of Sam Bankman-Fried and the testimony of Nishad Singh and Can Sun. CoinDesk coverage of the trial https://www.coindesk.com/sam-bankman-fried-trial-live-coverage-news/ Danny Nelson's newsletter about accounting Santa Clause https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/10/19/judge-kaplans-ire-hits-all-lawyers-in-the-sam-bankman-fried-case/ Danny article about Nishad Singh cross https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/10/19/judge-kaplans-ire-hits-all-lawyers-in-the-sam-bankman-fried-case/ Protos coverage of the trial https://protos.com/sbftrial/ Sam Bankman-Fried on Good Morning America https://youtu.be/0Hxf4Vf54PI Sam Bankman-Fried's defense finally wakes up https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/17/23921745/sam-bankman-fried-nishad-singh-house-loan This video was recorded on October 19th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas discuss Farmington State Bank/Moonstone Bank, the Washington State bank that Alameda Research invested in - valuing at an unbelievable $150 million. Additional resources: Initial Protos coverage of Moonstone https://protos.com/the-curious-case-of-ftx-and-farmington-state-bank-aka-moonstone/ Moonstone Bank executives explain relationship with Alameda Research https://protos.com/exclusive-moonstone-bank-explains-ties-with-alameda-research/ Federal Reserve explains Moonstone Bank decision https://protos.com/exclusive-the-fed-responds-to-the-moonstone-bank-mystery/ Protos coverage of Federal Reserve cease and desist https://protos.com/alameda-funded-bank-farmington-state-gets-cease-and-desist-from-fed/ Federal Reserve cease and desist https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/files/enf20230817a1.pdf Litecoin acquires stake in bank https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2018/07/11/litecoin-foundation-acquires-99-of-bank-in-payments-partnership/

Bennett and Cas are joined by Nikhilesh De of CoinDesk to discuss the ongoing trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, and specifically the testimony of Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison. Additional resources: CoinDesk coverage of the trial https://www.coindesk.com/tag/sbf-trial/ Nik's newsletter about the trial https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/10/13/things-sbfs-defense-lawyers-should-be-freaking-out-about/ Bennett's newsletter about the trial https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=16a900a42513fb7998acad86d&id=4f3209dbfb Protos coverage of the trial https://protos.com/sbftrial/ Business Insider Alameda Research All Hands call https://www.businessinsider.com/alameda-all-hands-meeting-caroline-ellison-shut-down-audio-2023-10 Liz Lopatto Article: 'Sam Bankman-Fried is a Terrible Boyfriend' https://www.businessinsider.com/alameda-all-hands-meeting-caroline-ellison-shut-down-audio-2023-10 Sketch of Caroline from Nik https://twitter.com/nikhileshde/status/1711886306131812441 This video was recorded on October 15th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas discuss the evolving banking situation in the cryptocurrency industry, and how hard it is for companies to maintain banking relationships. Read more: https://cryptocriticscorner.com/2023/10/13/episode-134-can-crypto-companies-get-bank-accounts/ Additional resources: CoinDesk article about Bitstamp https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/10/09/bitstamp-courts-european-banks-as-regions-incoming-crypto-rules-boost-confidence/ Protos article about Prager Metis https://protos.com/accounting-apocalypse-ftx-auditor-prager-metis-sued-by-the-sec/ Protos coverage of Moonstone https://protos.com/tag/moonstone/ This episode was recorded on October 9th, 2023.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by David Z. Morris to discuss the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, and the testimony against him so far. This includes longtime friend Adam Yedidia, FTX leader Gary Wang, and investor Matt Huang. Additional resources: Protos coverage of the trial https://protos.com/sbftrial/ Bennett newsletter about opening statements http://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=16a900a42513fb7998acad86d&id=4f3209dbfb Semafor reporting on loans https://www.semafor.com/article/12/07/2022/charity-money-launched-sam-bankman-frieds-empire Tara Mac Aulay tweet about leaving https://twitter.com/Tara_MacAulay/status/1592985303262072834?cxt=HHwWhMDU1a_stZssAAAA WSJ reporting on XRP bet https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/alameda-sam-bankman-fried-ftx-crypto-crash-11672434101 Reporting on MobileCoin losses https://protos.com/mobilecoin-the-project-that-doomed-ftx-a-year-before-terra-luna/ WSJ reporting on Cohen & Everdell https://www.wsj.com/articles/sam-bankman-frieds-defense-team-led-by-battle-tested-lawyers-11673217199 Where to find David: Flesh/Markets https://davidzmorris.substack.com/ Protos https://protos.com/author/dmorris/ Unchained https://unchainedcrypto.com/author/davidz/ Twitter https://twitter.com/davidzmorris This video was recorded on October 8th, 2023.

Today Bennett and Cas discuss the SEC's settlement with the creators of an NFT called Stoner Cats and whether or not it means any NFTs offering royalties to creators could be considered securities.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Eric Roesch to discuss Elon Musk, ESG (environmental, social, governance), and the Golden Age of Fraud. Roesch, an environmental policy expert, tells us about the history of ESG, why it doesn't effectively combat the issues it claims to, and how Elon Musk - the wealthiest man in the world - has used ESG, government subsidies, and asking for forgiveness instead of permission to hoodwink the American public. This episode was recorded September 20th, 2023.

Today Bennett and Cas talk about Sam Bankman-Fried's parents, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, who are alleged to be holding onto property and money that the FTX and Alameda Research estates are looking to claw back. Read more about it here. This episode was recorded on September 20th, 2023.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Leo Schwartz from Fortune to discuss his feature article about Circle, USDC, and why the stablecoin can't seem to overtake Tether in marketcap or volume. Read the article here.

Today Bennett and Cas discuss SBF's legal team suggesting that their client is unable to get his medications on time or food he finds acceptable. Read our articles about it here or here.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by special guest Zeke Faux, journalist and author of the new book Number Go Up. Faux was able to gain access to SBF (Sam Bankman-Fried), Deltec executives, and the head of Tether while writing his book, which explores how cryptocurrency is being used for nefarious - and not so nefarious - reasons in the real world. If you'd like to purchase Zeke's book, please visit https://a.co/d/3mqDKBO (this is a non-affiliate link to the Amazon page for his book).

Today Bennett and Cas discuss one of the most popular financial podcasts in the world, the All-In podcast, and why it's bad for America. All-In features Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya, and David Friedberg, mostly talking their books, but lately the hosts have been berating critics and claiming being venture capitalists make them men "in the arena." This episode was recorded on August 25th and 28th.

Today Bennett and Cas discuss Prime Trust (again) after the Nevada-based trust company admitted that previous C-suite executives had made numerous mistakes and mishandled over $80 million in cash and cryptocurrencies.

Bennett and Cas discuss the philosophy of Effective Altruism, how it influenced Sam Bankman-Fried, and how it contributed to the collapse of FTX and Alameda Research. This episode was recorded on July 27th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas discuss Sam Altman and his new project, Worldcoin, which promises to provide 'proof of humanity' if you let them scan your eyeball. This episode was recorded on Thursday July 27th, 2023.

Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are discussing the weird shenanigans ongoing with the stablecoin TrueUSD (TUSD) and the numerous platforms and exchanges that Justin Sun has purchased over the years. This episode was recorded on Wednesday, July 26th, 2023.

Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Jonathan Reiter and Patrick Tan of ChainArgos to discuss Prime Trust, TrueUSD, stablecoins, and offshore finance. This episode was recorded on Tuesday, June 27th, 2023

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Dr. Micah Warren, a professor of mathematics, to discuss the game theory of Bitcoin and what it means for the security of Bitcoin. This episode was recorded on June 8th, 2023.

Today we present the panel that we were featured on at Consensus, entitled "How to Spot a Scam." The panel was hosted by David Z. Morris of CoinDesk and features former Terraform Labs employee Hyungsuk Kang.

Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined - yet again! - by Mike Burgersburg of Dirty Bubble Media to discuss the recent lawsuits brought against Binance and Coinbase by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin discuss their takeaways from Consensus 2023, the recent cryptocurrency conference put on by CoinDesk. This video was recorded on April 30th, 2023.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Rohan Grey to discuss how the government could provide unlimited deposit insurance against banks collapsing. This episode was recorded on March 15th, 2023.

Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin are joined by Cynthia Cooper and Daren Firestone to discuss the history of one of the largest corporate frauds ever, Worldcom, and what it means to be a whistleblower. This video was recorded on October 13th, 2022. Additional resources: Cooper Group http://www.coopergroupllc.com/index.php Extraordinary Circumstances https://a.co/d/9O4C9Vz Levy Firestone Muse https://www.levyfirestone.com/ cryptowhistleblower.com https://cryptowhistleblower.com/ Cynthia Cooper's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiaco... Daren Firestone Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/daren-fir...

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the lawsuit filed against Binance and Changpeng Zhao by the CFTC. This video was streamed live on March 27th, 2023. Additional resources: Complaint https://www.cftc.gov/media/8351/%20en... Coverage of the complaint https://protos.com/cftc-lawsuit-again...

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the lawsuit filed against Justin Sun alleging that Tron and BitTorrent token were illegal securities and that he engaged in market manipulation. We also discuss the celebrities implicated in the promotion of these tokens including: - Logan Paul - Lindsay Lohan - Lil Yachty - Ne-Yo - Akon - Soulja Boy - Austin Mahone - Kendra Lust This episode was recorded on March 23rd, 2023

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Ed Zitron to discuss NFTs and why they became popular and why they are so empty. This episode was recorded on February 1st, 2022.

Bennett and Cas go live to discuss the collapse of Silvergate, the bank of choice for cryptocurrency companies and exchanges in the US. Recorded on Wednesday, March 8th, 2023.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the recent Wall Street Journal report that reveals that Tether and Bitfinex falsified bank records in order to try to maintain access to banking. WSJ article discussed on the show. This video was recorded on March 3rd, 2023.

Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin are joined by Laurence and Josh Cincinnati to dis1cuss the value of satire in cryptocurrency, ordinals, Justin Sun and more. This was recorded on January 30th, 2023.

Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin are joined by Domingo Flores to discuss the Salvadoran Bitcoin Token being developed in partnership with Bitfinex. Domingo's Website, Patreon, YouTube, and Twitter. This video was recorded on January 20th, 2022.

Bennett and Cas revisit the Harmony Horizon bridge exploit from last year, discuss why the Lazarus Group is targeting cryptocurrency so much, and go over the billion plus lost on cryptocurrency bridges over the past year. Special thanks to ZachXBT, who uncovered the movements of Lazarus exploit funds as they were happening.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the raid executed against Nexo, SBF's lies in his Substack, and the unregistered security charges brought against Genesis and Gemini. Kentucky Cease and desist against Nexo Protos On SBF's Lies This video was streamed live on January 12th, 2022.