Crypto platform BitClout founder charged with fraud and sale of unregistered securities

Source Fxstreet
  • SEC charged BitClout founder Nader Al-Naji with investor fraud.
  • Al-Naji allegedly raised $257 million from selling fake native tokens.
  • Al-Naji is also said to have spent $7 million of these funds on extravagant cash and gifts.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed charges on Tuesday against Nader Al-Naji, founder of crypto social media platform BitClout. The SEC alleges that he defrauded investors and conducted an unregistered securities offering.

SEC charges Al-Naji with breaking securities laws

The Office for the Southern District of New York and the SEC accused BitClout CEO Nader Al-Naji of breaking securities laws by selling unregistered tokens to the public.

The filing alleged that Al-Naji sold unregistered native tokens worth $257 million under the guise of the supposedly decentralized social media platform BitClout. The BTCLT token and the Decentralized Social (DeSo) platform were used to defraud investors, the SEC claimed.

"As alleged in our complaint, Al-Naji attempted to evade the federal securities laws and defraud the investing public, mistakenly believing that 'being 'fake' decentralized generally confuses regulators and deters them from going after you,'" said Gubir S. Grewal, SEC's Division of Enforcement Director.

Additionally, Al-Naji was accused of spending $7 million of the money raised during its token offerings luxuriously, including buying a mansion in Beverly Hills and extravagant gifts.

BitClout was founded in 2021 by Al-Naji, allowing users to create content, share photos, and financially support posts they like through a diamond icon.

The SEC's case against BitClout has brought the regulator under fire again, this time after several crypto community members claimed that the SEC is acting outside its jurisdiction.

Adam Cochran posted on X:

"Today's SEC case against DESO/Bitclout is a great example of some of the dirty games the current SEC plays and why they need to be replaced by any administration moving forward."

Furthermore, the filing included claims that Al-Naji's wife, mother, and colleagues were involved in spending BitClout's funds.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Dollar holds above 100 near a 3-month high — three Fed speakers and a $69 billion auction land tonightThe dollar index closed at 100.43 on Monday, its highest close since late July, after a weekly gain of about 1% — the best in more than three months — and is holding above the 100.00 handle in Asia. Three Fed officials speak tonight alongside a $69 billion two-year note auction, the first leg of $183 billion of Treasury supply this week.
Author  Suzie
Sep 22, Tue
The dollar index closed at 100.43 on Monday, its highest close since late July, after a weekly gain of about 1% — the best in more than three months — and is holding above the 100.00 handle in Asia. Three Fed officials speak tonight alongside a $69 billion two-year note auction, the first leg of $183 billion of Treasury supply this week.
placeholder
October hike odds climb toward 60% as Goldman and BofA both flip — what Warsh's "dose of accommodation" really changedRate futures now price roughly 55% to 62% for a 25bp hike at the October 27-28 FOMC, up from about 30% before Chair Warsh's post-meeting framing that the Fed is merely "removing some accommodation." Goldman Sachs has added an October hike to its forecast and Bank of America now sees moves in both October and December. Here is the repricing, the language behind it, and the two data points that decide it.
Author  Irene Q.
Sep 23, Wed
Rate futures now price roughly 55% to 62% for a 25bp hike at the October 27-28 FOMC, up from about 30% before Chair Warsh's post-meeting framing that the Fed is merely "removing some accommodation." Goldman Sachs has added an October hike to its forecast and Bank of America now sees moves in both October and December. Here is the repricing, the language behind it, and the two data points that decide it.
placeholder
Memory chips surge, Nasdaq notches a second straight record close — why the Dow fell 185 points anywayMicron gained 5%, SanDisk 6.8%, Seagate 4% and Western Digital 3% as the memory complex led the Nasdaq Composite to a second consecutive record close of 27,244.28. But the Dow fell 185 points as JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Schwab slid more than 3% each — a split tape that says more about positioning than about the economy.
Author  Irene Q.
Sep 23, Wed
Micron gained 5%, SanDisk 6.8%, Seagate 4% and Western Digital 3% as the memory complex led the Nasdaq Composite to a second consecutive record close of 27,244.28. But the Dow fell 185 points as JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Schwab slid more than 3% each — a split tape that says more about positioning than about the economy.
placeholder
Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD drifts toward $4.300 with bears gaining tractionGold (XAU/USD) retraces Tuesday’s gains on Wednesday and drifts lower, approaching the $4,300 area as the US Dollar Index (DXY) rallies further amid high US Treasury yields.
Author  FXStreet
Sep 23, Wed
Gold (XAU/USD) retraces Tuesday’s gains on Wednesday and drifts lower, approaching the $4,300 area as the US Dollar Index (DXY) rallies further amid high US Treasury yields.
placeholder
US input costs rose at the fastest pace in four years — the September flash PMI beat is an inflation story, not a growth storyUS September flash PMIs came in far above expectations, with the composite at 58.4, a five-year high. But the detail that moved markets was input cost inflation at its fastest since October 2022, driven by fuel, transport and supply shortages. Brent is back above $100 and the 10-year Treasury yield has hit its highest since 2007.
Author  Suzie
Yesterday 06: 46
US September flash PMIs came in far above expectations, with the composite at 58.4, a five-year high. But the detail that moved markets was input cost inflation at its fastest since October 2022, driven by fuel, transport and supply shortages. Brent is back above $100 and the 10-year Treasury yield has hit its highest since 2007.
goTop
quote