Audit log

Every state-changing event for FaZe Banks (Ricky Bengtson) / MLG Coin: moderation decisions on community submissions, plus corrections and updates from the news pipeline. URL-based decisions are designed to carry three independent witnesses — the original source, an Internet Archive snapshot, and a Solana memo signed by our publicly-disclosed publisher key. Archive coverage is still being backfilled, so each decision below reports its own snapshot status rather than assuming one exists.

1. #1publishby system:backfill

   2026-07-31 12:13:55Z
   Score: ? → ? (no score change)
   anchorpending

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   1NDLms8or7uK…f95HXi9tcopysha256 → base58

   verifying row…

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   {"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"2ee4c468-7034-4ecf-b715-a65cfdf55917","kind":"publish","page_slug":"faze-banks-ricky-bengtson-mlg-coin","published_at":"2026-07-31T12:13:55.454Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"FaZe Banks (Ricky Bengtson) / MLG Coin","sections":[{"content":"Richard 'Ricky' Bengtson, known online as FaZe Banks, was born on October 18, 1991, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He launched his YouTube channel in 2011 under the name BanksHasBank and joined FaZe Clan in 2013, eventually rising to serve as its CEO. FaZe Clan, founded in 2010 by three gamers (ClipZ, House Cat, and Resistance), grew into one of the most prominent esports and gaming entertainment brands globally, going public on NASDAQ in July 2022 following a merger with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp. Under Bengtson's tenure, the organization fielded competitive teams across Call of Duty, CS2, and PUBG and built a large social media following. Bengtson himself has tens of millions of followers across platforms including YouTube and Instagram.","heading":"Background: FaZe Banks and FaZe Clan","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"What is FaZe Banks real name? — Primetimer","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.primetimer.com/news/what-is-faze-banks-real-name-parents-net-worth-and-more-about-youtuber-as-he-steps-down-as-faze-ceo"},{"credibility":3,"name":"FaZe Clan — BusinessABC","type":"other","url":"https://businessabc.net/wiki/faze-clan"}]},{"content":"MLG Coin, officially ticker-named 360noscope420blazeit ($MLG), is a meme cryptocurrency launched on the Solana blockchain in April 2024. The token draws on nostalgic gaming culture — particularly Call of Duty and Major League Gaming imagery from the early 2010s — and has no official affiliation with Activision or the Major League Gaming organization. The team behind the token also launched custom servers for classic Call of Duty titles to build community engagement. Bengtson publicly endorsed the token and notably received a tattoo of the original MLG logo as a demonstration of commitment. Trading occurred primarily on Solana-based decentralized exchanges including Raydium and Meteora.","heading":"MLG Coin: Token Overview","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"360noscope420blazeit (MLG) price and chart — CoinMarketCap","type":"on_chain","url":"https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/360noscope420blazeit/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"This Week in Crypto Games: MLG Meme Coin Soars — Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/300426/this-week-crypto-games-sonic-tiktok-airdrop-solana-mlg-meme-coin"},{"credibility":2,"name":"What is 360noscope420blazeit? FaZe Clan Pump MLG Meme Coin — 99Bitcoins","type":"news_article","url":"https://99bitcoins.com/news/altcoins/what-is-360noscope420blazeit-og-call-of-duty-faze-clan-pump-mlg-meme-coin/"}]},{"content":"Beginning in late 2024 and peaking in early January 2025, Bengtson and others — including Twitch and YouTube streamer Adin Ross — aggressively promoted MLG Coin across social media platforms and live streams. The token's market capitalization surged approximately 5,200% over six days, rising from roughly $3 million to a peak of approximately $177–200 million by early February 2025. The coin subsequently crashed by more than 99%, reaching a market capitalization of approximately $1.1 million by 2026. Critics and retail investors alleged that insiders sold large holdings at or near the peak — a pattern consistent with a pump-and-dump scheme — leaving ordinary buyers with near-worthless tokens. Leaked screenshots of a private group chat, which surfaced in late July 2025 and whose authenticity was confirmed by Adin Ross, showed Bengtson accusing Ross of being 'the only bad actor' and of using the coin's community as 'exit liquidity.' Bengtson denied selling any holdings, stating publicly: 'I ran this thing up from $3m to $200m organically... NEVER EVER SOLD,' and posted what he alleged was evidence of a $106,475 personal loss on the token. Critics noted that personal losses do not rule out prior undisclosed sales via separate wallets. No independent on-chain forensic report verifying or refuting Bengtson's holding claims was publicly available at the time of this writing.","heading":"The Alleged Pump-and-Dump Scheme","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Steps Down Amid MLG Coin Crypto Scam Allegations — Disruption Banking","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.disruptionbanking.com/2025/07/29/faze-banks-steps-down-amid-mlg-coin-crypto-scam-allegations/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Banks Steps Down As FaZe Clan CEO Amid $MLG Crypto Coin Scandal — Complex","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/alex-ocho/banks-steps-down-as-faze-clan-ceo-amid-mlg-crypto-coin-scandal"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Banks steps away from FaZe amid MLG crypto coin controversy — Dexerto","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/banks-steps-away-from-faze-amid-mlg-crypto-coin-controversy-3231282/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MLG Coin: Adin Ross and FaZe Banks' Trending Crypto — Bitrue","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bitrue.com/blog/what-is-mlg-coin-adin-ross-faze-banks"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Influencer beef marketing? How Adin Ross and FaZe pumped, then dumped, MLG — CryptoNews","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptonews.net/news/altcoins/31337331/"}]},{"content":"On July 28–29, 2025, Bengtson announced his resignation as CEO of FaZe Clan, citing the toll the controversy was taking on him personally. In public statements he said the situation was 'destroying my life inside and out' and described the allegations as 'simply me being farmed.' He additionally alleged that a '$50,000 smear campaign' had been organized against him. FaZe Clan announced no immediate interim CEO. Bengtson also announced an indefinite withdrawal from social media. FaZe Clan, which had previously gone public at a valuation approaching $1 billion, was described in a February 2026 analysis by esports legal journalists as having experienced a significant institutional collapse in the period following the scandal.","heading":"Resignation from FaZe Clan","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Steps Down as FaZe Clan CEO Following Pump and Dump Crypto Scandal — Esports News UK","type":"news_article","url":"https://esports-news.co.uk/2025/07/29/faze-banks-steps-down-as-faze-clan-ceo-following-pump-and-dump-crypto-scandal/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Banks steps away from FaZe Clan amid crypto scam allegations — Esports Insider","type":"news_article","url":"https://esportsinsider.com/2025/07/faze-clan-banks-steps-down-ceo"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Clan Collapse: Death of a $1 Billion Empire — Esports Legal News","type":"news_article","url":"https://esportslegal.news/2026/02/20/faze-clan-collapse-1-billion-empire/"}]},{"content":"As of mid-2026, no confirmed formal charges, enforcement actions, or indictments have been filed against Bengtson by the SEC, DOJ, CFTC, or any other regulator in connection with MLG Coin. Unconfirmed claims circulated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) alleging that the SEC had opened an investigation into Bengtson regarding both MLG Coin and another token called $LIBRA; however, the SEC had not publicly confirmed any such inquiry, and these claims originate from Tier 3 social media sources. The FaZe Banks MLG situation drew renewed attention to the SEC's prior and ongoing scrutiny of influencer-driven crypto promotions more broadly, and the FTC had separately cracked down on deceptive crypto promotions by influencers in the relevant period. The absence of confirmed regulatory action as of the writing date should not be interpreted as a clearance.","heading":"Regulatory and Legal Status","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"MLG Crypto Scam: FaZe Banks' $200M Exit Sparks SEC Scrutiny on Influencer Tokens — FameEx","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.fameex.com/en-US/news/mlg-crypto-scam-faze-banks-sec-influencer-tokens"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Resigns After $200M MLG Crash — Blockchain Magazine","type":"news_article","url":"https://blockchainmagazine.net/faze-banks-resigns-after-200-m-mlg-crash-crypto-scam-allegations-end-faze-ceo-era/"}]},{"content":"The MLG Coin scandal was not Bengtson's first association with a contested crypto promotion. In June and July 2021, multiple FaZe Clan members — including FaZe Kay, FaZe Jarvis, FaZe Nikan, and FaZe Teeqo — promoted a token called 'Save the Kids,' which was subsequently alleged by YouTubers including Coffeezilla to be a pump-and-dump scheme. The token's price reached approximately half a cent before collapsing by 60%. FaZe Clan removed FaZe Kay and suspended the other three members. Bengtson denied personal involvement in Save the Kids but had separately promoted a token called BANKSOCIAL.io in a since-deleted tweet, and gave away $10,000 worth of the token. Critics cited this history in the context of the 2025 MLG Coin accusations, arguing it showed a pattern of influencer-driven token promotion regardless of investor outcomes.","heading":"Prior Crypto Controversy: Save the Kids (2021)","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Save the Kids token — Wikipedia","type":"other","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_the_Kids_token"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Clan kicks one member, suspends three more over crypto scam — PC Gamer","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.pcgamer.com/faze-clan-kicks-one-member-suspends-three-more-over-crypto-scam/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks called out on crypto after SaveTheKids scandal — WIN.gg","type":"news_article","url":"https://win.gg/news/faze-banks-called-out-on-crypto-after-savethekids-scandal/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks insists he didn't have any involvement in Save The Kids crypto controversy — GINX TV","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.ginx.tv/en/esports/faze-banks-insists-he-didn-t-have-any-involvement-in-save-the-kids-crypto-scam"}]},{"content":"Bengtson has consistently and publicly denied any deliberate wrongdoing. His stated position is that he promoted MLG Coin genuinely, never sold his holdings, and personally lost over $106,000 on the token. He alleges that Adin Ross was 'the only bad actor' and acted as a destabilizing force by using the token's community as exit liquidity. Adin Ross publicly confirmed the authenticity of the leaked chat screenshot in which Bengtson made these accusations but denied having orchestrated a rug pull, stating: 'If you guys think that $MLG being rugged was me, I'm sorry to tell you it wasn't.' Ross also stated: 'There's a reason that entire house is silent; truth will come out eventually.' Other FaZe Clan members, including Nordan 'Rain' Shat, publicly challenged Bengtson's account. No independent arbitration or judicial determination of the competing claims had been made as of mid-2026.","heading":"Disputed Claims and Counter-Narrative","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Quits as FaZe Clan CEO Amid MLG Meme Coin Scam — CoinSpeaker","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.coinspeaker.com/faze-banks-resigns-mlg-crypto-scam/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Steps Down After MLG Coin Implodes, Points to Adin Ross as Bad Actor — Yahoo Entertainment","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/faze-banks-steps-down-mlg-075333604.html"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks quits after MLG coin crash, blames Adin Ross — Cybernews","type":"news_article","url":"https://cybernews.com/entertainment/faze-banks-mlgcoin-adin-ross-fazeclan/"}]},{"content":"Retail investors who purchased MLG Coin near its peak in January–February 2025 suffered losses of approximately 99% of their invested value by 2026, with the token's market capitalization declining from approximately $177–200 million to roughly $1.1 million. Streamer N3on separately claimed personal losses of $15 million attributed to the collapse. Widespread community outrage on social media characterized the event as a deliberate rug pull. The token continues to trade on Solana-based decentralized exchanges at deeply depressed valuations. No restitution mechanism or investor recovery program has been announced.","heading":"Investor Impact and Token Status","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"360noscope420blazeit price, chart, market cap — CoinGecko","type":"on_chain","url":"https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/360noscope420blazeit"},{"credibility":2,"name":"360noscope420blazeit Price, Chart, Market Cap — CoinLore","type":"on_chain","url":"https://www.coinlore.com/coin/360noscope420blazeit"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Resigns After $200M MLG Crash — Blockchain Magazine","type":"news_article","url":"https://blockchainmagazine.net/faze-banks-resigns-after-200-m-mlg-crash-crypto-scam-allegations-end-faze-ceo-era/"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Steps Down Amid MLG Coin Crypto Scam Allegations — Disruption Banking","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.disruptionbanking.com/2025/07/29/faze-banks-steps-down-amid-mlg-coin-crypto-scam-allegations/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Banks Steps Down As FaZe Clan CEO Amid $MLG Crypto Coin Scandal — Complex","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/alex-ocho/banks-steps-down-as-faze-clan-ceo-amid-mlg-crypto-coin-scandal"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Banks steps away from FaZe amid MLG crypto coin controversy — Dexerto","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/banks-steps-away-from-faze-amid-mlg-crypto-coin-controversy-3231282/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Steps Down as FaZe Clan CEO Following Pump and Dump Crypto Scandal — Esports News UK","type":"news_article","url":"https://esports-news.co.uk/2025/07/29/faze-banks-steps-down-as-faze-clan-ceo-following-pump-and-dump-crypto-scandal/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Quits as FaZe Clan CEO Amid MLG Meme Coin Scam — CoinSpeaker","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.coinspeaker.com/faze-banks-resigns-mlg-crypto-scam/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Banks steps away from FaZe Clan amid crypto scam allegations — Esports Insider","type":"news_article","url":"https://esportsinsider.com/2025/07/faze-clan-banks-steps-down-ceo"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Steps Down After MLG Coin Implodes, Points to Adin Ross as Bad Actor — Yahoo Entertainment","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/faze-banks-steps-down-mlg-075333604.html"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks quits after MLG coin crash, blames Adin Ross — Cybernews","type":"news_article","url":"https://cybernews.com/entertainment/faze-banks-mlgcoin-adin-ross-fazeclan/"},{"credibility":3,"name":"MLG Crypto Scam: FaZe Banks' $200M Exit Sparks SEC Scrutiny on Influencer Tokens — FameEx","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.fameex.com/en-US/news/mlg-crypto-scam-faze-banks-sec-influencer-tokens"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Banks Resigns After $200M MLG Crash — Blockchain Magazine","type":"news_article","url":"https://blockchainmagazine.net/faze-banks-resigns-after-200-m-mlg-crash-crypto-scam-allegations-end-faze-ceo-era/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Bank Crypto: MLG Coin Rug Pull Explained — Bitget Academy","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bitget.com/academy/faze-bank-crypto-mlg-coin-rug-pull-explained"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Influencer beef marketing? How Adin Ross and FaZe pumped, then dumped, MLG — CryptoNews","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptonews.net/news/altcoins/31337331/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"This Week in Crypto Games: MLG Meme Coin Soars — Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/300426/this-week-crypto-games-sonic-tiktok-airdrop-solana-mlg-meme-coin"},{"credibility":2,"name":"360noscope420blazeit price, chart, market cap — CoinGecko","type":"on_chain","url":"https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/360noscope420blazeit"},{"credibility":2,"name":"360noscope420blazeit Price, Chart, Market Cap — CoinLore","type":"on_chain","url":"https://www.coinlore.com/coin/360noscope420blazeit"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Save the Kids token — Wikipedia","type":"other","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_the_Kids_token"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Clan kicks one member, suspends three more over crypto scam — PC Gamer","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.pcgamer.com/faze-clan-kicks-one-member-suspends-three-more-over-crypto-scam/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FaZe Clan Collapse: Death of a $1 Billion Empire — Esports Legal News","type":"news_article","url":"https://esportslegal.news/2026/02/20/faze-clan-collapse-1-billion-empire/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"What is FaZe Banks real name? — Primetimer","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.primetimer.com/news/what-is-faze-banks-real-name-parents-net-worth-and-more-about-youtuber-as-he-steps-down-as-faze-ceo"}],"summary":"Richard 'FaZe Banks' Bengtson is a social media influencer and co-founder of esports organization FaZe Clan who served as its CEO until July 2025, when he resigned following widespread accusations of orchestrating a pump-and-dump scheme involving the MLG Coin (ticker: 360noscope420blazeit), a Solana-based meme token that reached a peak market capitalization of approximately $177–200 million before collapsing by over 99%. Bengtson denies all wrongdoing and claims he never sold his holdings, while placing blame on fellow streamer Adin Ross; no formal criminal charges or confirmed regulatory enforcement actions had been filed as of mid-2026.","timeline":[{"date":"2021-06-01","event":"FaZe Clan members FaZe Kay, Jarvis, Nikan, and Teeqo promote Save the Kids token, which subsequently collapses. FaZe Clan removes FaZe Kay and suspends the others. Bengtson denies personal involvement but had separately promoted BANKSOCIAL.io.","source":"PC Gamer","source_url":"https://www.pcgamer.com/faze-clan-kicks-one-member-suspends-three-more-over-crypto-scam/"},{"date":"2024-04-20","event":"MLG Coin (360noscope420blazeit) launches on the Solana blockchain, themed around nostalgic gaming culture.","source":"99Bitcoins","source_url":"https://99bitcoins.com/news/altcoins/what-is-360noscope420blazeit-og-call-of-duty-faze-clan-pump-mlg-meme-coin/"},{"date":"2025-01-06","event":"MLG Coin social media engagement peaks. FaZe Banks and Adin Ross promote the token aggressively. The token surges approximately 5,200% over six days from a $3 million market cap.","source":"Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/300426/this-week-crypto-games-sonic-tiktok-airdrop-solana-mlg-meme-coin"},{"date":"2025-02-04","event":"MLG Coin reaches its all-time high price of approximately $0.183, representing a market capitalization of approximately $177–200 million.","source":"CoinLore","source_url":"https://www.coinlore.com/coin/360noscope420blazeit/historical-data"},{"date":"2025-03-01","event":"MLG Coin crashes more than 90% from its peak. Retail investors begin publicly accusing promoters of a rug pull.","source":"CryptoNews","source_url":"https://cryptonews.net/news/altcoins/31337331/"},{"date":"2025-07-28","event":"Screenshots from a private group chat allegedly showing Bengtson blaming Adin Ross as 'the only bad actor' surface publicly. Bengtson announces he is stepping down from FaZe Clan.","source":"Dexerto","source_url":"https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/banks-steps-away-from-faze-amid-mlg-crypto-coin-controversy-3231282/"},{"date":"2025-07-29","event":"Bengtson formally resigns as CEO of FaZe Clan and announces an indefinite withdrawal from social media. Adin Ross confirms the leaked screenshot is authentic but denies orchestrating a rug pull.","source":"Complex","source_url":"https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/alex-ocho/banks-steps-down-as-faze-clan-ceo-amid-mlg-crypto-coin-scandal"},{"date":"2026-02-20","event":"Esports legal journalists publish analysis describing the collapse of FaZe Clan as an institutional entity in the aftermath of the MLG Coin scandal.","source":"Esports Legal News","source_url":"https://esportslegal.news/2026/02/20/faze-clan-collapse-1-billion-empire/"}]},"v":1}

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