Evolved Apes
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anchored·2E4mgT…7pJSSummary
Evolved Apes was a 10,000-piece Ethereum NFT collection that launched in late September 2021 with promises of an accompanying blockchain fighting game. Within one week of mint, the anonymous developer known as 'Evil Ape' disappeared with approximately 798 ETH (~$2.7 million USD), taking down the project's website and Twitter account. In June 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice charged three UK nationals — Mohamed-Amin Atcha, Mohamed Rilaz Waleedh, and Daood Hassan — with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the scheme.
Connected Entities
4 entities · 60 linked investigations- Evolved Apes→mentioned with→Ethereum(75%)
- Evolved Apes→mentioned with→Cointelegraph(60%)
- Evolved Apes→mentioned with→Evolved Apes NFT(80%)
- Cointelegraph→mentioned with→Ethereum(60%)
- Evolved Apes NFT→mentioned with→Evolved Apes(80%)
- Evolved Apes NFT→mentioned with→Ethereum(60%)
- Evolved Apes NFT→mentioned with→Cointelegraph(65%)
Timeline(7 events)
24 September 2021
Evolved Apes public mint launches on OpenSea. The 10,000-NFT collection reportedly sells out within approximately ten minutes.
Cryptoglobe / BeInCryptoOctober 2021
Approximately one week after mint, 'Evil Ape' withdraws approximately 798 ETH (~$2.7M) from the project treasury in multiple transactions, then deletes the official website and Twitter account.
VICE / Halborn Security5 October 2021
VICE publishes the first major investigative piece on the Evolved Apes scam, confirming the rug pull and documenting community reactions.
VICE6 October 2021
Multiple crypto outlets including BeInCrypto and CoinTelegraph publish coverage confirming the 798 ETH theft and noting the artist was never paid.
BeInCrypto7 October 2021
Community members including Mike Scott, Jen Farmer, Jamie Elkaleh, and Josh Bull announce the Fight Back Apes initiative, pledging to fulfill original project promises using a multi-signature treasury.
VICE / PR NewswireFebruary 2022
Fight Back Apes announces a partnership with Daz 3D to produce a 3D NFT collection for original Evolved Apes holders, with free mints planned for existing holders.
PR Newswire6 June 2024
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announces charges against three UK nationals — Mohamed-Amin Atcha, Mohamed Rilaz Waleedh, and Daood Hassan — for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the Evolved Apes scheme.
DOJ SDNY Press ReleaseDecision Log
- slot 423160844 · hash GgPjUP74PnmNxjVo8f2KYb3smbeHxhQoBRR4kMahZLLn
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (1 decision). 18 of 18 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-sonnet-4-5
generated: 5/30/2026, 12:57:39 PM
last updated: 8/29/2026, 1:32:51 AM
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