{"investigation":{"slug":"bitclout-deso-nader-al-naji","entity_name":"BitClout / DeSo / Nader Al-Naji","trust_score":32,"severity_base":null,"score_modifier":0,"confidence":0.88,"status":"published","content_type":"investigation","summary":"BitClout was a blockchain-based social media platform launched in March 2021 by Nader Al-Naji, operating under the pseudonym 'Diamondhands', which later rebranded to the DeSo (Decentralized Social) blockchain. In July 2024, the SEC and DOJ charged Al-Naji with raising approximately $257 million through alleged unregistered securities sales and fraud, while allegedly concealing his identity and misusing at least $7 million of investor funds for personal expenses including a Beverly Hills mansion and cash gifts to family members. Both the DOJ criminal case (dismissed without prejudice, February 2025) and the SEC civil case (dismissed with prejudice, March 2026) were dropped with no penalties, fines, or admissions of guilt, though the documented fundraise scale and the SEC and DOJ allegations remain part of the public record.","sections":[{"content":"Nader Al-Naji graduated from Princeton University in 2014 (summa cum laude, Computer Science) and went on to work as an engineer at Google and a quantitative analyst at D.E. Shaw. Before BitClout, Al-Naji founded Basis (initially Basecoin), an algorithmic stablecoin project that raised approximately $133 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Bain Capital Ventures, Google Ventures, and Polychain Capital. Basis shut down in December 2018 and returned unused capital to investors after concluding the project could not be operated in a compliant manner under U.S. securities law. Al-Naji subsequently launched BitClout in 2021 operating entirely under the pseudonym 'Diamondhands.' He publicly revealed his identity in September 2021, simultaneously announcing the rebranding of the underlying chain to DeSo (Decentralized Social). As of June 2026, Al-Naji is listed as chairman of the board of the DeSo Foundation.","heading":"Background and Founder History","sources":[{"url":"https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/07/30/feds-arrest-princeton-grad-diamondhands-who-raised-257-million-for-fake-crypto-social-media-site/","name":"Former Princeton Rower Nader Al-Naji Charged with BitClout Crypto Fraud — Fortune","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://blockworks.co/news/bitclout-creator-pseudonymous-no-more-announces-deso-ambitions","name":"BitClout Creator, Pseudonymous No More, Announces DeSo Ambitions — Blockworks","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/118133/bitclout-creator-decentralized-social-blockchain-200-million-funding-a16z-others","name":"BitClout Creator Launches 'Decentralized Social' Blockchain with $200 Million in Funding — The Block","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"low"},{"content":"On July 30, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil enforcement action (press release 2024-91) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Nader Al-Naji, alleging fraud and unregistered offerings of crypto asset securities. The SEC alleged that from approximately November 2020 through 2024, Al-Naji raised more than $257 million from U.S. and foreign investors through unregistered offers and sales of the BTCLT token, while falsely telling investors that proceeds would not be used to compensate him or other BitClout employees. The civil complaint named the following as relief defendants: Al-Naji's wife Buse Desticioğlu Al-Naji, his mother Joumana Bahouth Al-Naji, and four entities — Intangible Holdings LLC, Firestorm Media LLC, Viridian City LLC, and the DeSo Foundation — through which, the SEC alleged, investor funds were transferred. Concurrently, the DOJ's Southern District of New York charged Al-Naji with one count of wire fraud, a charge carrying a maximum sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment. Al-Naji was arrested on approximately July 27, 2024 and presented to a U.S. magistrate judge in California on July 29, 2024. SEC Enforcement Director Gurbir S. Grewal stated in the press release that Al-Naji 'attempted to evade the federal securities laws and defraud the investing public, mistakenly believing that being fake decentralized confuses regulators.' The SEC further alleged that Al-Naji secured a misleading legal opinion letter from a law firm — by misrepresenting the project's nature to the attorneys — and used that letter to reassure venture capital investors about the legitimacy of the offering.","heading":"SEC and DOJ Charges (July 2024)","sources":[{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024-91","name":"SEC Press Release 2024-91: SEC Charges Nader Al-Naji with Fraud and Unregistered Offering of Crypto Asset Securities","type":"regulatory","credibility":1},{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26499","name":"SEC Litigation Release LR-26499 — Nader Al-Naji, Buse Desticioğlu Al-Naji, Joumana Bahouth Al-Naji, Intangible Holdings LLC, Firestorm Media LLC, Viridian City LLC, and DeSo Foundation","type":"regulatory","credibility":1},{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2024/comp-pr2024-91.pdf","name":"SEC Complaint (comp-pr2024-91.pdf) — SEC.gov","type":"court_filing","credibility":1},{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/07/30/bitclout-founder-charged-with-wire-fraud-civil-securities-charge","name":"BitClout Founder Charged With Wire Fraud, Civil Securities Charge — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/30/sec-charged-crypto-founder-bitclout-startup-backed-by-a16z-sequoia/","name":"SEC Charges BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji with Fraud — TechCrunch","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"critical"},{"content":"The SEC complaint alleged that Al-Naji spent more than $7 million of investor funds on personal expenditures despite having told investors that proceeds would not be used to compensate him or other BitClout employees. Specific allegations included: rental payments for a six-bedroom Beverly Hills mansion, payment of personal credit card bills, and cash gifts to family members totaling at least $2.9 million — including amounts directed to his wife Buse Desticioğlu Al-Naji and his mother Joumana Bahouth Al-Naji. A source close to Al-Naji told TechCrunch that the Beverly Hills property had served business purposes, including housing employees and hosting company-sponsored events, disputing the SEC's characterization. These allegations were not adjudicated on their merits; both cases were dismissed before trial with no findings of fact.","heading":"Alleged Personal Misuse of Investor Funds","sources":[{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024-91","name":"SEC Press Release 2024-91 — SEC.gov","type":"regulatory","credibility":1},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/30/sec-charged-crypto-founder-bitclout-startup-backed-by-a16z-sequoia/","name":"SEC Charges BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji with Fraud — TechCrunch","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://blockonomi.com/where-did-257-million-go-bitclout-founder-faces-fraud-charges-from-sec-and-doj/","name":"Where Did $257 Million Go? BitClout Founder Faces Fraud Charges from SEC and DOJ — Blockonomi","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"high"},{"content":"According to SEC filings, Al-Naji launched BitClout operating solely under the pseudonym 'Diamondhands,' representing to the public and to investors that the project was fully decentralized with no controlling company or individual behind it — characterizing it as 'no company behind it, just coins and code.' The SEC alleged this framing was designed to avoid regulatory scrutiny. Al-Naji did not publicly reveal his identity until September 2021, when he announced the rebranding to DeSo. The SEC additionally alleged that Al-Naji misrepresented the project's nature to attorneys in order to obtain a legal opinion letter that was subsequently used to reassure institutional investors about the offering. Fortune reported that Andreessen Horowitz invested in both Al-Naji's Basis project and in DeSo/BitClout. The Fortune article reporting on the charges characterized a16z as having invested in Al-Naji ventures twice. Both a16z and Sequoia declined to comment when contacted by journalists at the time of the charges.","heading":"Pseudonymous Operation and Alleged Deception of Investors","sources":[{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024-91","name":"SEC Press Release 2024-91 — SEC.gov","type":"regulatory","credibility":1},{"url":"https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/09/25/nader-al-naji-diamondhands-bitclout-andreessen-horowitz-a16z/","name":"How Princeton Rower 'Diamondhands' Conned Silicon Valley's Most Famous Firm — Twice — Fortune","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://blockworks.co/news/bitclout-creator-pseudonymous-no-more-announces-deso-ambitions","name":"BitClout Creator, Pseudonymous No More, Announces DeSo Ambitions — Blockworks","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"high"},{"content":"On February 28, 2025, U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo approved a request from Southern District of New York federal prosecutors to withdraw the criminal wire fraud complaint against Al-Naji without prejudice. The without-prejudice status means prosecutors retained the theoretical ability to refile, though as of June 2026 no refiling has been reported. The DOJ did not provide a public explanation for the withdrawal. No conviction, guilty plea, or financial penalty resulted from the criminal case.","heading":"DOJ Criminal Case Dismissal (February 2025)","sources":[{"url":"https://decrypt.co/310495/justice-dept-drops-bitclout-charges","name":"Justice Dept Drops BitClout Charges — Decrypt","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/03/16/sec-drops-case-against-bitclout-s-nader-al-naji","name":"SEC Drops Lawsuit Against BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji Over DeSo Crypto Project — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"medium"},{"content":"On March 12, 2026, a joint stipulation was filed in the Southern District of New York dismissing the SEC's civil enforcement action with prejudice against Nader Al-Naji and all named relief defendants: Buse Desticioğlu Al-Naji, Joumana Bahouth Al-Naji, Intangible Holdings LLC, Firestorm Media LLC, Viridian City LLC, and the DeSo Foundation. The with-prejudice dismissal bars the SEC from refiling the same securities claims tied to BitClout and BTCLT. No financial penalties, fines, or admissions of guilt were imposed on any party. Under the terms of the joint stipulation, Al-Naji and the relief defendants waived any claims for attorney's fees or damages related to the investigation or litigation. The SEC described the decision as 'based on the particular facts and circumstances of this case' and, separately, as reflecting a 'reassessment of the evidentiary record.' The dismissal occurred alongside a broader shift in SEC crypto enforcement posture following the change in U.S. presidential administration, during which multiple other crypto enforcement actions were also dropped or settled on reduced terms.","heading":"SEC Civil Case Dismissal With Prejudice (March 2026)","sources":[{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/03/16/sec-drops-case-against-bitclout-s-nader-al-naji","name":"SEC Drops Lawsuit Against BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji Over DeSo Crypto Project — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/393611/sec-dismisses-civil-fraud-case-against-bitclout-deso-founder-nader-al-naji-with-prejudice","name":"SEC Dismisses Civil Fraud Case Against BitClout, DeSo Founder Nader Al-Naji With Prejudice — The Block","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://decrypt.co/361275/sec-drops-case-bitclout-founder-nader-al-naji","name":"SEC Drops Case Against BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji — Decrypt","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/03/266911-sec-permanently-drops-civil-fraud-suit-against-deso-and-bitclout-creator-nader-al-naji/","name":"SEC Permanently Drops Civil Fraud Suit Against DeSo And BitClout Creator Nader Al-Naji — Crowdfund Insider","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26499","name":"SEC Litigation Release LR-26499 — SEC.gov","type":"regulatory","credibility":1}],"severity":"medium"},{"content":"BitClout/DeSo attracted investment from prominent venture capital firms. The seed round of approximately $7 million included Andreessen Horowitz (a16z, approximately $3 million) and Sequoia Capital (approximately $1 million), along with Social Capital (Chamath Palihapitiya), Coinbase Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The project's total fundraise grew to approximately $257 million from a broader investor base; the SEC alleged in its complaint that a substantial portion of the $257 million came from retail investors. Both a16z and Sequoia declined to comment on the 2024 charges when contacted by journalists. It is noted that a16z had also invested in Al-Naji's prior Basis project before its 2018 shutdown.","heading":"Institutional Backing and Investor Exposure","sources":[{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/118133/bitclout-creator-decentralized-social-blockchain-200-million-funding-a16z-others","name":"BitClout Creator Launches 'Decentralized Social' Blockchain with $200 Million in Funding — The Block","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/30/sec-charged-crypto-founder-bitclout-startup-backed-by-a16z-sequoia/","name":"SEC Charges BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji with Fraud — TechCrunch","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/09/25/nader-al-naji-diamondhands-bitclout-andreessen-horowitz-a16z/","name":"How Princeton Rower 'Diamondhands' Conned Silicon Valley's Most Famous Firm — Twice — Fortune","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"medium"},{"content":"At launch in March 2021, BitClout pre-populated the network with approximately 15,000 accounts created by scraping public Twitter profiles without the consent of the individuals represented. This allowed users to buy and sell 'creator coins' tied to prominent public figures — including celebrities, politicians, and executives — who had never agreed to participate in or signed up for the platform. Multiple affected individuals publicly objected. Former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong publicly requested the removal of his profile, describing it as 'misleading and done without my permission.' Additionally, according to the FBI criminal complaint as reported by Fortune, the BitClout mechanism by which BTCLT deposited by users could not be readily converted back to Bitcoin was information that was withheld from purchasers at the time of investment.","heading":"Platform Conduct: Unauthorized Profile Scraping","sources":[{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/03/22/what-is-bitclout-the-social-media-experiment-sparking-controversy-on-twitter","name":"What Is BitClout? The Social Media Experiment Sparking Controversy on Twitter — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/22/crypto-social-network-bitclout-arrives-with-a-bevy-of-high-profile-investors-and-skeptics/","name":"Crypto Social Network BitClout Arrives with a Bevy of High-Profile Investors and Skeptics — TechCrunch","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/07/30/feds-arrest-princeton-grad-diamondhands-who-raised-257-million-for-fake-crypto-social-media-site/","name":"Former Princeton Rower Nader Al-Naji Charged with BitClout Crypto Fraud — Fortune","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"medium"},{"content":"Following the BitClout-to-DeSo rebrand, the platform's token trades under the ticker DESO. As of approximately June 2026, DESO traded at roughly $3.72 USD per CoinGecko, with a market capitalization of approximately $39 million (ranked approximately #551 by market cap). The token is thinly traded; 24-hour trading volume was approximately $9,700 as of the same date. The token reached an all-time high of approximately $198.68 in June 2021 during the 2021 bull market and an all-time low of approximately $2.70 in November 2024. As of June 2026, DESO trades approximately 98% below its all-time high. Circulating supply is approximately 10.5 million tokens against a total supply of approximately 10.8 million tokens. These figures are subject to change and should be verified against a live data source.","heading":"DESO Token: Current Market Status","sources":[{"url":"https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/deso","name":"Decentralized Social (DESO) Price — CoinGecko (as of approximately June 2026)","type":"other","credibility":2}],"severity":"medium"}],"timeline":[{"date":"2017-07","event":"Nader Al-Naji begins work on Basecoin (later renamed Basis), an algorithmic stablecoin project.","source":"Fortune","source_url":"https://fortune.com/ranking/the-ledger-40-under-40/2018/nader-al-naji/"},{"date":"2018-12","event":"Basis shuts down and returns approximately $133 million to investors — raised from a16z, Bain Capital, Google Ventures, and others — citing inability to operate in a U.S.-compliant manner.","source":"Fortune","source_url":"https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/07/30/feds-arrest-princeton-grad-diamondhands-who-raised-257-million-for-fake-crypto-social-media-site/"},{"date":"2020-11","event":"According to the SEC complaint, Al-Naji begins offering and selling BTCLT tokens under the pseudonym 'Diamondhands,' marking the alleged start of the unregistered securities offering.","source":"SEC Press Release 2024-91","source_url":"https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024-91"},{"date":"2021-03-22","event":"BitClout publicly launches with approximately 15,000 pre-populated profiles scraped from Twitter without user consent. High-profile VC backing (Sequoia, a16z, and others) reported despite immediate public controversy.","source":"CoinDesk","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/03/22/what-is-bitclout-the-social-media-experiment-sparking-controversy-on-twitter"},{"date":"2021-06-19","event":"DESO (then BTCLT) reaches its all-time high of approximately $198.68 per token.","source":"CoinGecko","source_url":"https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/deso"},{"date":"2021-09-21","event":"Al-Naji publicly reveals his identity, ending operation under the 'Diamondhands' pseudonym, and announces the rebranding of BitClout to the DeSo (Decentralized Social) blockchain with approximately $200 million in disclosed funding.","source":"The Block","source_url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/118133/bitclout-creator-decentralized-social-blockchain-200-million-funding-a16z-others"},{"date":"2024-07-27","event":"Nader Al-Naji arrested by the FBI in California.","source":"Fortune","source_url":"https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/07/30/feds-arrest-princeton-grad-diamondhands-who-raised-257-million-for-fake-crypto-social-media-site/"},{"date":"2024-07-30","event":"The SEC files civil enforcement action (press release 2024-91) in the SDNY charging Al-Naji with fraud and unregistered securities offerings, naming his wife, mother, and four corporate entities as relief defendants. The DOJ simultaneously files a one-count wire fraud complaint.","source":"SEC Press Release 2024-91","source_url":"https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024-91"},{"date":"2024-11-05","event":"DESO token reaches its recorded all-time low of approximately $2.70.","source":"CoinGecko","source_url":"https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/deso"},{"date":"2025-02-28","event":"U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo approves a DOJ request to withdraw the criminal wire fraud complaint against Al-Naji without prejudice. No conviction or plea entered.","source":"Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/310495/justice-dept-drops-bitclout-charges"},{"date":"2026-03-12","event":"The SEC and Al-Naji file a joint stipulation in the SDNY dismissing the civil enforcement action with prejudice against Al-Naji and all relief defendants. No penalties, fines, or admissions of guilt imposed.","source":"CoinDesk","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/03/16/sec-drops-case-against-bitclout-s-nader-al-naji"}],"sources_used":[{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024-91","name":"SEC Press Release 2024-91: SEC Charges Nader Al-Naji with Fraud and Unregistered Offering of Crypto Asset Securities","type":"regulatory","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260510091055/https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024-91","credibility":1,"archive_timestamp":"2026-05-10T09:10:55+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26499","name":"SEC Litigation Release LR-26499","type":"regulatory","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260316090402/https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26499","credibility":1,"archive_timestamp":"2026-03-16T09:04:02+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2024/comp-pr2024-91.pdf","name":"SEC Complaint comp-pr2024-91.pdf","type":"court_filing","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20250907022255/https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2024/comp-pr2024-91.pdf","credibility":1,"archive_timestamp":"2025-09-07T02:22:55+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/07/30/bitclout-founder-charged-with-wire-fraud-civil-securities-charge","name":"BitClout Founder Charged With Wire Fraud, Civil Securities Charge — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260316155012/https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/07/30/bitclout-founder-charged-with-wire-fraud-civil-securities-charge","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-03-16T15:50:12+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/03/16/sec-drops-case-against-bitclout-s-nader-al-naji","name":"SEC Drops Lawsuit Against BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji Over DeSo Crypto Project — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260317110836/https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/03/16/sec-drops-case-against-bitclout-s-nader-al-naji","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-03-17T11:08:36+00:00"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/30/sec-charged-crypto-founder-bitclout-startup-backed-by-a16z-sequoia/","name":"SEC Charges BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji with Fraud — TechCrunch","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260428213339/https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/30/sec-charged-crypto-founder-bitclout-startup-backed-by-a16z-sequoia/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-04-28T21:33:39+00:00"},{"url":"https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/07/30/feds-arrest-princeton-grad-diamondhands-who-raised-257-million-for-fake-crypto-social-media-site/","name":"Former Princeton Rower Nader Al-Naji Charged with BitClout Crypto Fraud — Fortune","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260428213449/https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/07/30/feds-arrest-princeton-grad-diamondhands-who-raised-257-million-for-fake-crypto-social-media-site/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-04-28T21:34:49+00:00"},{"url":"https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/09/25/nader-al-naji-diamondhands-bitclout-andreessen-horowitz-a16z/","name":"How Princeton Rower 'Diamondhands' Conned Silicon Valley's Most Famous Firm — Twice — Fortune","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260428213349/https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/09/25/nader-al-naji-diamondhands-bitclout-andreessen-horowitz-a16z/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-04-28T21:33:49+00:00"},{"url":"https://decrypt.co/310495/justice-dept-drops-bitclout-charges","name":"Justice Dept Drops BitClout Charges — Decrypt","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260514201608/https://decrypt.co/310495/justice-dept-drops-bitclout-charges","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-05-14T20:16:08+00:00"},{"url":"https://decrypt.co/361275/sec-drops-case-bitclout-founder-nader-al-naji","name":"SEC Drops Case Against BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji — Decrypt","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260414210301/https://decrypt.co/361275/sec-drops-case-bitclout-founder-nader-al-naji","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-04-14T21:03:01+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/393611/sec-dismisses-civil-fraud-case-against-bitclout-deso-founder-nader-al-naji-with-prejudice","name":"SEC Dismisses Civil Fraud Case Against BitClout, DeSo Founder Nader Al-Naji With Prejudice — The Block","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260314170436/https://www.theblock.co/post/393611/sec-dismisses-civil-fraud-case-against-bitclout-deso-founder-nader-al-naji-with-prejudice","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-03-14T17:04:36+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/03/266911-sec-permanently-drops-civil-fraud-suit-against-deso-and-bitclout-creator-nader-al-naji/","name":"SEC Permanently Drops Civil Fraud Suit Against DeSo And BitClout Creator Nader Al-Naji — Crowdfund Insider","type":"news_article","archive_url":null,"credibility":2,"archive_error":"error:no-request","archive_status":"unarchivable","archive_timestamp":null},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/118133/bitclout-creator-decentralized-social-blockchain-200-million-funding-a16z-others","name":"BitClout Creator Launches 'Decentralized Social' Blockchain with $200 Million in Funding — The Block","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260719135042/https://www.theblock.co/post/118133/bitclout-creator-decentralized-social-blockchain-200-million-funding-a16z-others","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-07-19T13:50:42+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/03/22/what-is-bitclout-the-social-media-experiment-sparking-controversy-on-twitter","name":"What Is BitClout? The Social Media Experiment Sparking Controversy on Twitter — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20251207033102/https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/03/22/what-is-bitclout-the-social-media-experiment-sparking-controversy-on-twitter","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2025-12-07T03:31:02+00:00"},{"url":"https://blockworks.co/news/sec-doj-charge-bitclout-creator-crypto-fraud-social-media","name":"SEC, DOJ Charge BitClout Creator Nader Al-Naji — Blockworks","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260221041153/https://blockworks.co/news/sec-doj-charge-bitclout-creator-crypto-fraud-social-media","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-02-21T04:11:53+00:00"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/22/crypto-social-network-bitclout-arrives-with-a-bevy-of-high-profile-investors-and-skeptics/","name":"Crypto Social Network BitClout Arrives with High-Profile Investors and Skeptics — TechCrunch","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260428213425/https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/22/crypto-social-network-bitclout-arrives-with-a-bevy-of-high-profile-investors-and-skeptics/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-04-28T21:34:25+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/03/15/sec-drops-fraud-lawsuit-against-bitclout-founder-nader-al-naji/","name":"SEC Drops Fraud Lawsuit Against BitClout Founder Nader Al-Naji — CryptoTimes","type":"news_article","archive_url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260726101844/https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/03/15/sec-drops-fraud-lawsuit-against-bitclout-founder-nader-al-naji/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-07-26T10:18:44+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2026/03/princeton-news-broadfocus-alumni-exonerated-of-crypto-fraud-charges","name":"SEC Case Against Nader Al-Naji '14 Dismissed After Two Years of Legal Battles — The Daily Princetonian","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260608125634/https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2026/03/princeton-news-broadfocus-alumni-exonerated-of-crypto-fraud-charges","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-06-08T12:56:34+00:00"},{"url":"https://blockworks.co/news/bitclout-creator-pseudonymous-no-more-announces-deso-ambitions","name":"BitClout Creator, Pseudonymous No More, Announces DeSo Ambitions — Blockworks","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260218174128/https://blockworks.co/news/bitclout-creator-pseudonymous-no-more-announces-deso-ambitions","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-02-18T17:41:28+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/deso","name":"Decentralized Social (DESO) Price — CoinGecko","type":"other","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20251114093520/https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/deso","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2025-11-14T09:35:20+00:00"}],"source_tags":[],"addresses":[],"reviewed":false,"reviewed_by":null,"model_used":"claude-code-investigator","created_at":"2026-06-02T23:06:34.437814+00:00","updated_at":"2026-07-26T16:25:41.715279+00:00"}}