After a tough weekend that led to fraud prices being leveled in opposition to Argentine President Javier Milei for his alleged involvement within the promotion of the LIBRA token, on-chain proof and a damning insider interview have surfaced particulars on how precisely the Solana meme coin has become a multi-million greenback scandal.
In press statements and tweets, Milei has denied having any advance data of the undertaking.
Parallel to those claims, a collaborative investigation executed by blockchain analytics platform Bubblemaps and pseudonymous on-chain investigator Stephen Findeisen (CoffeeZilla) has uncovered on-chain proof suggesting the identical entity orchestrated each the failed LIBRA and MELANIA token launches.
“After analyzing cross-chain transfers and timing patterns, we’re extremely assured that is the case,” Bubblemaps tweeted.
The investigation traced interconnected pockets exercise between the tasks, revealing how income from one scheme funded the opposite via a sequence of cross-chain transfers.
A key Solana pockets labeled “P5tb4” accrued over $2.4 million via early buying and selling of the MELANIA token earlier than transferring funds to an Avalanche pockets “0xcEA” instantly linked to the token’s creator, Bubblemaps defined in a tweet thread.
2/ There’s been hypothesis that MELANIA and LIBRA are tied to the identical workforce, however with out stable proof—till now.
After analyzing cross-chain transfers and timing patterns, we’re extremely assured that is the case.
— Bubblemaps (@bubblemaps) February 17, 2025
That very same Avalanche pockets later funded “DEfcyK,” recognized as LIBRA’s essential creator pockets on blockchain explorer Solscan, establishing a transparent cash path between the tasks.
The LIBRA token, which obtained a now-deleted endorsement from Argentine President Javier Milei on Friday, noticed its market cap surge into the billions earlier than crashing 95% after insiders eliminated $87 million in liquidity.
Equally, the MELANIA token, promoted by the U.S. first girl in January, skilled an explosive rise earlier than its worth evaporated, leaving retail buyers with heavy losses.
Bubblemaps’ evaluation means that the identical group might have executed a number of different token launches, together with tasks codenamed TRUST, KACY, VIBES, and HOOD, following related pump-and-dump patterns.
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In an interview posted on YouTube, Findeisen spoke with Hayden Mark Davis, a consultant of KIP Protocol, the LIBRA meme coin’s developer.
On the interview with Findeisen, Davis recognized himself as a “launch strategist” moderately than the core workforce member, and admitted to orchestrating each the LIBRA and MELANIA meme coin launches.
Davis claimed Argentine President Javier Milei’s workforce initially backed LIBRA as a blockchain transparency experiment earlier than distancing themselves when issues emerged.
“Regardless of prior commitments, Milei and his workforce unexpectedly modified their place, withdrawing their help and deleting all earlier posts on social media,” Davis was quoted as saying in a previous report by the Related Press.
A contentious revelation from Davis issues “undertaking sniping,” a course of the place groups front-run their very own token launches.
Davis defended this course of as “safety” in opposition to exterior merchants who would possibly crash costs, although he acknowledges the follow’s controversial nature.
“Each single one among these launches, that is what occurs, […] three to 10 guys get these large chunks.” Davis defined, describing groups’ dilemma between permitting aggressive merchants to dominate or intervening in probably manipulative methods.
Within the interview, Davis confirmed rumors of an “insider profit” cope with Dave Portnoy, founding father of Barstool Sports activities, saying he refunded Portnoy $5 million that he misplaced because of the LIBRA launch—although Hayden admitted to regretting the refund as a result of it was “unfair.”
Portnoy “knew in regards to the launch,” Hayden stated, including that, “he had time to place $5 million collectively which he traded on this coin, then he loses the cash satirically and also you refund him.”
Decrypt has reached out to Portnoy for remark, and can replace this text ought to he reply.
Davis additionally outlines potential options, together with consumer refunds or liquidity reinjection, whereas emphasizing the complexity of his place.
“There’s what, $60 million on the bonding curve of liquidity that is locked,” he stated. “It is not a rug, it is a plan gone miserably mistaken with $100 million sitting in an account that I am the custodian of,” he added, claiming that he had been receiving loss of life threats because of his involvement in LIBRA’s launch.
“The truth that I’ve management can be what’s making me a goal and likewise defending me as a result of that is a global incident, this is not like some random rip-off,” Davis stated.
“Persons are after my household,” he stated, including that due to the involvement of a president, “it is a very completely different recreation.”
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