In a surprising turn of events, Attorney John Deaton, who represents a colossal 75,000 XRP holders in the SEC v. Ripple lawsuit, has taken to the X platform to challenge assertions regarding his knowledge of Ethereum’s Initial Coin Offering (ICO).
I’ve commented regarding the receipts that I’ve seen. People should not jump to conclusions that that means I’ve seen everything being referenced by everyone. For example, I said I’ve seen documents that prove @StevenNerayoff was an essential part of the Ethereum team in 2014. I… https://t.co/ADscztEepp
— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) October 4, 2023
The Ethereum ICO has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, particularly after renowned crypto advisor Steven Nerayoff highlighted the challenge of accurately gauging the number of investors involved in the ETH ICO. He alleged that he became a target due to his intimate knowledge of ETH’s early sales.
Following extensive discussions, Attorney Deaton acknowledged seeing receipts that corroborate some of Nerayoff’s statements. He further revealed plans to host Nerayoff on Crypto-Law TV for a detailed discussion.
A fervent XRP supporter claimed that Attorney Deaton possessed concrete evidence to substantiate Nerayoff’s claims. However, Deaton swiftly debunked this, asserting that he had only commented based on the receipts at his disposal. According to Deaton:
People should not jump to conclusions that that means I’ve seen everything being referenced by everyone.
He referred specifically to one receipt he had examined, attesting to Nerayoff’s pivotal role in the Ethereum team. Deaton contended that this evidence contradicted prior assertions by Ethereum’s founders, Joseph Lubin and Vitalik Buterin, who downplayed Nerayoff’s significance.
Additionally, Deaton stressed that the identities of the so-called “Ethereum hidden whales” remain undisclosed, as Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations were not mandated in the early stages of the cryptocurrency. He shared a link to an archived audio clip of Lubin assuring investors that Ethereum wouldn’t require “real-world identity” verification during the ETH ICO.
Deaton underscored that he had no access to insider information but derived five critical points from the audio. There still needs to be a comprehensive list of disguised whales from the Ethereum ICO. As such, a list would contradict its very purpose. Deaton highlighted that investors engaged in early ETH sales using only email addresses, many of which were specifically created for the ICO.
