{"investigation":{"slug":"brooks-bauer-axiom-exchange-insider-trading","entity_name":"Brooks Bauer (Axiom Exchange Insider Trading)","trust_score":8,"severity_base":null,"score_modifier":0,"confidence":0.55,"status":"draft","content_type":"investigation","summary":"Brooks Bauer (also reported as \"Broox\" Bauer), a New York-based senior business development employee at Solana-based trading platform Axiom Exchange, was publicly identified by blockchain investigator ZachXBT in a February 26, 2026 report as the alleged central figure in an insider trading and customer-data-abuse scheme. Bauer allegedly used unrestricted internal Axiom dashboards to look up private user wallet data and shared it with associates to front-run or trade ahead of prominent traders' positions over a period of roughly ten months; ZachXBT estimated associated profits at approximately $400,000, though the report itself cautioned that establishing high-confidence individual insider-trading instances from on-chain data alone is difficult. No criminal charges, regulatory action, or civil lawsuit against Bauer has been identified as of this writing; all allegations originate from a single independent investigator's report, corroborated in part by leaked audio/screenshots and amplified by crypto trade press.","sections":[{"content":"Multiple outlets reporting on the ZachXBT investigation refer to the individual as a senior business development employee at Axiom Exchange based in New York. The spelling of the first name varies across sources and even within the same article: some headlines and summaries use \"Brooks Bauer\" while body text and several outlets consistently use \"Broox Bauer.\" AVOID.NET has been unable to independently confirm which spelling is the individual's legal name; this page uses \"Brooks Bauer\" per the entity request while noting the \"Broox\" variant is widely used in primary coverage. Axiom Exchange itself is a Y Combinator-backed, Solana-based on-chain trading platform that launched around January 2025; Axiom as an organization is covered separately on AVOID.NET and is not duplicated here.","heading":"Identity and Role","sources":[{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/26/zachxbt-alleges-axiom-employee-conducted-insider-trading","name":"CoinDesk: ZachXBT alleges Axiom employee conducted insider trading","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/391423/zachxbt-investigation-into-alleged-employee-insider-trading","name":"The Block: ZachXBT names Axiom in investigation into alleged employee insider trading","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.dlnews.com/articles/defi/axiom-employees-accused-of-insider-trading-using-sensitive-customer-data/","name":"DL News: Solana trading platform employees accused of insider trading using sensitive customer data","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"medium"},{"content":"According to ZachXBT's report, Bauer allegedly used Axiom's internal customer-support dashboard — which reportedly had little to no access controls or monitoring — to look up any user's wallet address, referral code, or user ID and retrieve linked wallets, transaction histories, tracked-wallet lists, and user-defined wallet labels. In an audio recording cited by the investigation, Bauer allegedly said he could \"find out anything to do with that person\" for any Axiom user. ZachXBT alleged Bauer shared screenshots of this internal data — reportedly in April and August 2025 — with a small group of associates who used it to map and allegedly front-run the trades of prominent crypto traders and influencers known for accumulating large memecoin positions before public promotion. Bauer allegedly described starting with 10–20 wallets and gradually increasing lookup activity \"so it does not look that suspicious.\" The scheme allegedly ran for roughly ten months, beginning within months of Axiom's early-2025 launch. In a recorded call from around early February 2026, Bauer allegedly outlined a plan to help another individual generate approximately $200,000 in rapid profit using privileged access; total estimated profits across the alleged scheme were reported at approximately $400,000. ZachXBT's own report cautioned that, absent access to Axiom's internal logs, it is difficult to establish high-confidence individual examples of insider trading from on-chain data alone — meaning the profit and trading claims rest substantially on the investigator's characterization of leaked material rather than independently verified trade records.","heading":"Core Allegations: Data Access Abuse and Insider Trading","sources":[{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/26/zachxbt-alleges-axiom-employee-conducted-insider-trading","name":"CoinDesk: ZachXBT alleges Axiom employee conducted insider trading","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/391423/zachxbt-investigation-into-alleged-employee-insider-trading","name":"The Block: ZachXBT names Axiom in investigation into alleged employee insider trading","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.dlnews.com/articles/defi/axiom-employees-accused-of-insider-trading-using-sensitive-customer-data/","name":"DL News: Solana trading platform employees accused of insider trading using sensitive customer data","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/y-combinator-backed-axiom-exchange-153837071.html","name":"Cointelegraph/Yahoo Finance: Y Combinator-Backed Axiom Exchange Employees Accused of Insider Trading","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"critical"},{"content":"ZachXBT's report and subsequent coverage name additional individuals alleged to be involved in or aware of the data-lookup activity, including a business development employee referred to as \"Ryan\" (also referenced by the alias \"Ryucio\"), an associate referred to as \"Gowno\" (also identified in some coverage as \"Seb\"), and a moderator referred to as \"Mystery.\" Axiom's founders, referred to in coverage by the names \"Mist\" and \"Cal,\" are not themselves accused of participating in the alleged scheme. AVOID.NET has not independently verified the real-world identities behind these aliases and treats these attributions as unverified, Tier 2-sourced allegations.","heading":"Other Individuals Implicated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/26/zachxbt-alleges-axiom-employee-conducted-insider-trading","name":"CoinDesk: ZachXBT alleges Axiom employee conducted insider trading","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://yellow.com/news/insider-trading-allegations-hit-axiom-over-access-to-private-wallet-information","name":"Yellow.com: Insider Trading Allegations Hit Axiom Over Access To Private Wallet Information","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"medium"},{"content":"Coverage of the report noted that a wallet (reported as beginning \"0x054e\") placed roughly $212,563 on \"Yes\" at 33.5 cents on a Polymarket market asking whether ZachXBT's upcoming investigation would be about Axiom, and received a payout of approximately $421,496 once the report was published. Onchain researchers reportedly connected this wallet to Bauer, though this connection has not been confirmed through any regulatory or judicial process and should be treated as an unverified allegation.","heading":"Related Polymarket Trading Activity","sources":[{"url":"https://cryptorank.io/news/feed/4008b-suspected-insider-traders-make-over-1-million-on-axiom-probe","name":"CryptoRank: Suspected Insider Traders Make Over $1 Million on Axiom Probe","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://themarketperiodical.com/2026/02/27/zachxbt-exposes-axiom-company-fires-back-as-smart-money-bets-win-big/","name":"The Market Periodical: ZachXBT Exposes Axiom, Company Fires Back As Smart Money Bets Win Big","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"high"},{"content":"In response to ZachXBT's report, Axiom issued a statement saying: \"We are surprised and disappointed to hear that someone on our team abused internal customer support tools to look up user wallets. We have removed access to these tools and will continue to investigate and hold the offending parties responsible.\" Axiom further stated the alleged conduct \"does not represent us as a team\" and said it would provide updates via its official channels. As of the most recent available reporting, AVOID.NET has not found confirmation that Axiom has publicly stated whether Bauer was terminated, disciplined, or remains employed by the company. This section concerns Axiom's response specifically to the Bauer allegations; broader assessment of Axiom Exchange as an organization is covered on its separate AVOID.NET entity page.","heading":"Axiom Exchange's Response","sources":[{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/391423/zachxbt-investigation-into-alleged-employee-insider-trading","name":"The Block: ZachXBT names Axiom in investigation into alleged employee insider trading","type":"news_article","credibility":2},{"url":"https://www.dlnews.com/articles/defi/axiom-employees-accused-of-insider-trading-using-sensitive-customer-data/","name":"DL News: Solana trading platform employees accused of insider trading using sensitive customer data","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"medium"},{"content":"As of the most recent available reporting, no criminal charges, SEC or CFTC enforcement action, or civil lawsuit naming Bauer has been identified. Coverage of the report speculated that, given Bauer's reported location in New York, any eventual criminal case could fall within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, but this is characterized in source reporting as speculation rather than a confirmed investigation or filing. This entire matter therefore rests on allegations made by a single independent, pseudonymous investigator (ZachXBT), amplified by crypto trade press, without independent confirmation from a court, regulator, or law-enforcement body identified to date.","heading":"Legal and Regulatory Status","sources":[{"url":"https://www.dlnews.com/articles/defi/axiom-employees-accused-of-insider-trading-using-sensitive-customer-data/","name":"DL News: Solana trading platform employees accused of insider trading using sensitive customer data","type":"news_article","credibility":2}],"severity":"high"}],"timeline":[{"date":"2025-01","event":"Axiom Exchange, the Solana-based on-chain trading platform where Bauer worked in business development, launches.","source":"DL News","source_url":"https://www.dlnews.com/articles/defi/axiom-employees-accused-of-insider-trading-using-sensitive-customer-data/"},{"date":"2025-04","event":"Bauer allegedly shares screenshots from Axiom's internal dashboard showing private wallet data tied to specific traders, per ZachXBT's report.","source":"CoinDesk","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/26/zachxbt-alleges-axiom-employee-conducted-insider-trading"},{"date":"2025-08","event":"Bauer allegedly shares additional internal dashboard screenshots with associates, per ZachXBT's report.","source":"CoinDesk","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/26/zachxbt-alleges-axiom-employee-conducted-insider-trading"},{"date":"2026-02","event":"In a recorded call, Bauer allegedly outlines a plan to help an associate generate roughly $200,000 in profit using privileged internal access.","source":"The Block","source_url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/391423/zachxbt-investigation-into-alleged-employee-insider-trading"},{"date":"2026-02-26","event":"ZachXBT publishes his investigation naming Brooks (\"Broox\") Bauer as the central figure in the alleged insider trading and data-abuse scheme; Axiom responds publicly the same day, saying it removed access to the internal tools.","source":"CoinDesk","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/26/zachxbt-alleges-axiom-employee-conducted-insider-trading","date_evidence":"Article dated 2026/02/26 at URL coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/26/zachxbt-alleges-axiom-employee-conducted-insider-trading"},{"date":"2026-02-27","event":"Follow-up reporting details a Polymarket wallet allegedly linked to Bauer that won approximately $421,496 betting that ZachXBT's report would target Axiom.","source":"The Market Periodical","source_url":"https://themarketperiodical.com/2026/02/27/zachxbt-exposes-axiom-company-fires-back-as-smart-money-bets-win-big/","date_evidence":"Article URL themarketperiodical.com/2026/02/27/zachxbt-exposes-axiom-company-fires-back-as-smart-money-bets-win-big"}],"sources_used":[{"url":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/26/zachxbt-alleges-axiom-employee-conducted-insider-trading","name":"CoinDesk: ZachXBT alleges Axiom employee conducted insider trading","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260922162200/https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/26/zachxbt-alleges-axiom-employee-conducted-insider-trading","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-09-22T16:22:00+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/391423/zachxbt-investigation-into-alleged-employee-insider-trading","name":"The Block: ZachXBT names Axiom in investigation into alleged employee insider trading","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260528005941/https://www.theblock.co/post/391423/zachxbt-investigation-into-alleged-employee-insider-trading","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-05-28T00:59:41+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.dlnews.com/articles/defi/axiom-employees-accused-of-insider-trading-using-sensitive-customer-data/","name":"DL News: Solana trading platform employees accused of insider trading using sensitive customer data","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260921085907/https://www.dlnews.com/articles/defi/axiom-employees-accused-of-insider-trading-using-sensitive-customer-data/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-09-21T08:59:07+00:00"},{"url":"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/y-combinator-backed-axiom-exchange-153837071.html","name":"Yahoo Finance: Y Combinator-Backed Axiom Exchange Employees Accused of Insider Trading: ZachXBT","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260725234519/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/y-combinator-backed-axiom-exchange-153837071.html","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-07-25T23:45:19+00:00"},{"url":"https://yellow.com/news/insider-trading-allegations-hit-axiom-over-access-to-private-wallet-information","name":"Yellow.com: Insider Trading Allegations Hit Axiom Over Access To Private Wallet Information","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260801231913/https://yellow.com/news/insider-trading-allegations-hit-axiom-over-access-to-private-wallet-information","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-08-01T23:19:13+00:00"},{"url":"https://cryptorank.io/news/feed/4008b-suspected-insider-traders-make-over-1-million-on-axiom-probe","name":"CryptoRank: Suspected Insider Traders Make Over $1 Million on Axiom Probe","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260726085157/https://cryptorank.io/news/feed/4008b-suspected-insider-traders-make-over-1-million-on-axiom-probe","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-07-26T08:51:57+00:00"},{"url":"https://themarketperiodical.com/2026/02/27/zachxbt-exposes-axiom-company-fires-back-as-smart-money-bets-win-big/","name":"The Market Periodical: ZachXBT Exposes Axiom, Company Fires Back As Smart Money Bets Win Big","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260302150538/https://themarketperiodical.com/2026/02/27/zachxbt-exposes-axiom-company-fires-back-as-smart-money-bets-win-big/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-03-02T15:05:38+00:00"},{"url":"https://www.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/axiom-employees-exposed-insider-trading-scandal-zachxbt/","name":"CCN: Axiom Employees Exposed in Massive Insider Trading Scandal as ZachXBT Report Finally Comes Out","type":"news_article","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20260227081107/https://www.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/axiom-employees-exposed-insider-trading-scandal-zachxbt/","credibility":2,"archive_timestamp":"2026-02-27T08:11:07+00:00"}],"source_tags":[],"addresses":[],"reviewed":false,"reviewed_by":null,"model_used":"claude-code-investigator","created_at":"2026-09-23T17:10:44.254486+00:00","updated_at":"2026-09-23T20:48:21.593292+00:00"}}