Fact-check findings

The reviewer could not reconcile the claim with the evidence it cited. This is a lead, not a ruling that the claim is false.

1. #11[disputed][awaiting moderator]in section: Intellectual Property and Copyright Exposure

   “Furie has a documented history of enforcing his copyright: he obtained a $15,000 settlement from InfoWars in 2019, forced the removal of an NFT collection from OpenSea valued at approximately $7 million in trading volume, and won a copyright lawsuit against a children's book author who used the character.”

   reviewerFurie obtained a $15,000 settlement from InfoWars in 2019, forced removal of an NFT collection from OpenSea valued at approximately $7 million in trading volume, and won a copyright lawsuit against a children's book authorNone of the three sources cited for this section actually state a $7 million figure. Independent reporting on the OpenSea 'Sad Frogs District' takedown (the only matching event found) consistently cites ~$4 million in trading volume.
   Proposed correction (not yet applied)

   Furie has a documented history of enforcing his copyright: he obtained a $15,000 settlement from InfoWars in 2019, forced the removal of an NFT collection from OpenSea (the 'Sad Frogs District' project) that had generated approximately $4 million in trading volume, and won a copyright lawsuit against a children's book author who used the character.
   citedprotos.com/pepe-creator-matt-furie-says-…epecoin-existed/dailycoin.com/beware-of-pepe-the-frog-me…estment-at-risk/www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/busin…lawsuit-1217193/
2. #18[disputed][awaiting moderator]in the timeline

   “PEPE listed on Robinhood and Coinbase; token surges on major exchange access expansion”

   reviewerPEPE was listed on Robinhood and Coinbase on November 13, 2024, which this timeline entry cites to a CoinDesk articleThe underlying event (Nov 13, 2024 Robinhood/Coinbase listing) is correct, but the cited source is the wrong article entirely -- it is about a different April 2024 Coinbase International futures announcement and never mentions Robinhood. This finding covers the 'source' field; see the paired finding for 'source_url'.
   citedwww.coindesk.com/markets/2024/04/11/pepe…erpetual-futures
3. #19[disputed][awaiting moderator]in the timeline

   “https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2024/04/11/pepe-coin-spikes-on-coinbase-international-plan-to-list-perpetual-futures”

   reviewerTimeline entry citing the November 13, 2024 Robinhood/Coinbase listing links to a URL about an unrelated April 2024 Coinbase International futures storySame underlying citation-mismatch error as the paired 'source' field finding; grouped under the same defect_group.
   Proposed correction (not yet applied)

   https://www.ibtimes.com/shib-vibes-pepe-surges-after-coinbase-robinhood-crypto-listings-3751016
   citedwww.coindesk.com/markets/2024/04/11/pepe…erpetual-futures

No source the reviewer could reach confirms or contradicts the claim.

1. #20[unverifiable][awaiting moderator]in section: Market Performance and Volatility

   “The token was listed on Robinhood and Coinbase in November 2024, and European trading pairs for PEPE were removed by some platforms in September 2024 following MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) enforcement.”

   reviewerEuropean trading pairs for PEPE were removed by some platforms in September 2024 following MiCA enforcementNone of the section's three cited sources address this sentence, and no independent reporting could be found naming PEPE in a September 2024 MiCA-driven European delisting; documented MiCA delistings of this kind targeted stablecoins and occurred mostly in 2025. Could not find a source confirming or explicitly refuting a PEPE-specific September 2024 action, so marked unverifiable rather than disputed.

The claim was accurate when written but events since have overtaken it.

1. #6[stale][awaiting moderator]in section: SEC Wells Notice and Regulatory Action

   “Whether the SEC enforcement action against Wallace was formally dropped following this guidance had not been publicly confirmed as of the date of this investigation.”

   reviewerWhether the SEC enforcement action against Wallace was formally dropped following the February 2025 meme-coin guidance had not been publicly confirmed as of the date of this investigationMore recent reporting (Aug 2026) supersedes the page's framing that the outcome was unconfirmed; note the update itself traces only to Wallace's own press release, not an SEC announcement, so it should be caveated rather than stated as fact.
   Proposed correction (not yet applied)

   On August 14, 2026, Wallace stated in a press release that the SEC's Division of Enforcement staff had closed the investigation and did not intend to recommend an enforcement action, though the SEC itself has not independently confirmed this.
   citedwww.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sec-wel…n-302321814.html

The cited evidence supports part of the claim but not all of it.

1. #15[partially supported][awaiting moderator]in section: Third-Party Scams and Ecosystem Fraud

   “A broader analysis by Blockfence identified that memecoin-related scams during 2023 defrauded approximately 42,000 victims and amassed approximately $32 million.”

   reviewerBlockfence found memecoin scams in 2023 defrauded ~42,000 victims of ~$32 millionFigures are accurate but the scheme is described by Blockfence as ongoing into early 2024, not solely 'during 2023'; minor overstatement of the time window. No source for this specific claim is listed in the section's own sources[] array.
2. #16[partially supported][awaiting moderator]in section: Market Performance and Volatility

   “PEPE launched on or around April 14–18, 2023, and within three weeks achieved a market capitalization of approximately $1.6 billion, representing a price increase of over 900% from its initial trading price.”

   reviewerPEPE market cap reached ~$1.6B within three weeks of launch, a >900% price increase from its initial trading price, then retreated to ~$800M by May 9, 2023The $1.6B market cap and ~$800M retreat figures are confirmed by Fortune; the '900% from initial trading price' phrasing slightly overstates/mischaracterizes what the source actually measures (increase from the April 18 CoinGecko starting price, one+ day after debut).
   citedwww.fxstreet.com/cryptocurrencies/news/p…ion-202412090742
3. #23[partially supported][awaiting moderator]in the timeline

   “PEPE token deployed on Ethereum; trading begins on decentralized exchanges”

   reviewerTimeline's April 14, 2023 deploy-and-trading-begins entry is sourced to the Fortune articleThe April 14, 2023 date itself appears accurate per on-chain/Etherscan records found independently, but the cited Fortune article does not actually support this specific date -- Etherscan (already used elsewhere on the page) would be the correct citation.
   citedfortune.com/crypto/2023/05/09/how-the-pe…nd-then-tumbled/

The cited evidence supports the claim as written.

1. #1[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Project Overview

   “PEPE is an ERC-20 token launched on April 14–17, 2023, on the Ethereum blockchain (contract address 0x6982508145454Ce325dDbE47a25d4ec3d2311933).”

   reviewerPEPE is an ERC-20 token launched April 14-17 2023 on Ethereum at contract 0x6982508145454Ce325dDbE47a25d4ec3d2311933, anonymous team, no utility/roadmapContract address and general April 2023 launch window are independently corroborated.
   citedfortune.com/crypto/2023/05/09/how-the-pe…nd-then-tumbled/etherscan.io/token/0x6982508145454ce325d…a25d4ec3d2311933
2. #2[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Project Overview

   “According to its whitepaper, approximately 93.1% of tokens were sent to liquidity pools with LP tokens burned and the contract renounced at launch.”

   reviewerTotal supply is 420,690,000,000,000 tokens with ~93.1% sent to liquidity pools (LP burned, contract renounced) and remainder in a multi-sig team walletFigure and mechanics match independent exchange-published tokenomics pages, though none are the project's own whitepaper directly.
   citedetherscan.io/token/0x6982508145454ce325d…a25d4ec3d2311933
3. #3[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Multi-Signature Wallet Theft (August 2023)

   “On August 24, 2023, approximately 16 trillion PEPE tokens — roughly 60% of the 26 trillion tokens held in the project's multi-signature treasury wallet and valued at approximately $15.7 million — were transferred to centralized exchanges without the stated authorization of the remaining team.”

   reviewerOn August 24, 2023, ~16 trillion PEPE (~60% of 26T multi-sig, ~$15.7M) was sent to Binance, OKX, KuCoin, Bybit without authorizationCore facts confirmed across five independent outlets; the exact dollar figure varies slightly ($15M-$16M) by source but $15.7M is within the reported range (Cointelegraph).
   citedwww.coindesk.com/tech/2023/08/28/pepecoi…m-stole-15m-pepewww.theblock.co/post/247576/pepe-team-me…on-from-multisig
4. #4[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Multi-Signature Wallet Theft (August 2023)

   “A material discrepancy was identified by research firm ASXN, which reported that the change in multi-signature threshold — from 5-of-8 signers required to 2-of-8 signers — was 'signed by five' wallets, raising questions about the founder's account of events.”

   reviewerASXN reported the multi-sig threshold changed from 5-of-8 to 2-of-8, 'signed by five' wallets, raising questions about the founder's accountIndependently corroborated by The Block's contemporaneous coverage of ASXN's findings.
   citedcryptoslate.com/pepecoin-founder-blames-…-16m-withdrawal/
5. #5[confirmed][no action needed]in section: SEC Wells Notice and Regulatory Action

   “On October 22, 2024, the SEC's Division of Enforcement issued a Wells Notice to Eric Wallace, identified as one of the individuals involved in the creation and development of the Pepe memecoin.”

   reviewerOn October 22, 2024, SEC Division of Enforcement issued a Wells Notice to Eric Wallace for alleged 1933/1934 Act violations tied to the August 2023 transfer of ~4% of Pepe tokens; Wallace denies wrongdoing, represented by Latham & WatkinsFully verified against the primary press release.
   citedwww.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sec-wel…n-302321814.html
6. #7[confirmed][no action needed]in section: SEC Wells Notice and Regulatory Action

   “On February 27, 2025, the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance issued a staff statement clarifying that meme coins fitting the PEPE profile — crypto assets inspired by internet memes with no functional utility, no yield, and no rights to future profits — generally do not constitute securities under federal law.”

   reviewerOn February 27, 2025, SEC Division of Corporation Finance issued a staff statement that meme coins like PEPE generally are not securities, shifting jurisdiction toward the CFTCDate and substance of the staff statement independently corroborated by multiple law-firm summaries.
   citedwww.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements…ement-meme-coins
7. #8[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Insider Trading Allegations

   “Cahen alleged that the team held approximately $16–17 million worth of PEPE tokens across nine wallets and had strategically moved tokens from centralized exchange wallets while initiating significant short positions before the public disclosure of the multi-sig event.”

   reviewerJeremy 'Pauly' Cahen alleged insider trading: team held $16-17M across nine wallets, short positions before disclosure, on-chain analyst Yazan found ~400B tokens sold by insidersPage correctly frames these as unverified allegations originating from a single accuser and on-chain analysts; this framing matches the state of public reporting.
   citedwww.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/…heft-controversy
8. #9[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Insider Trading Allegations

   “Cahen also alleged that the individual identified as the founder — Zachary Testa — and associates had profited materially from PEPE, including allegedly purchasing a purple Lamborghini reportedly valued at approximately $865,000.”

   reviewerCahen alleged the founder is Zachary Testa, a Phoenix-based photographer using aliases @degenharambe/@LordKekLol, ASU marketing graduate (2018), who bought an $865,000 purple Lamborghini and didn't compensate Matt FurieConsistently reported as an allegation (never officially confirmed by the project), which matches the page's careful hedging.
   citedwww.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/…heft-controversycoingape.com/education/zachary-testa-networth/
9. #10[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Intellectual Property and Copyright Exposure

   “Furie stated publicly in 2023 that he was unaware of the token's existence: 'Actually, this is the first I've heard of it. What is Pepecoin?'”

   reviewerMatt Furie created Pepe the Frog in 'Boy's Club' (2005), holds copyright, and said publicly in 2023 'Actually, this is the first I've heard of it. What is Pepecoin?'Exact quote verified against the cited Protos article.
   citedprotos.com/pepe-creator-matt-furie-says-…epecoin-existed/
10. #12[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Intellectual Property and Copyright Exposure

    “and won a copyright lawsuit against a children's book author who used the character.”

    reviewerMatt Furie won a copyright lawsuit against a children's book author who used the Pepe characterConfirmed by a credible legal-industry publication, though technically resolved via pre-trial settlement/consent rather than a jury verdict — consistent with how most such IP matters resolve.
    citeddailycoin.com/beware-of-pepe-the-frog-me…estment-at-risk/
11. #13[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Third-Party Scams and Ecosystem Fraud

    “Within days of the token's debut, blockchain security firm PeckShield identified a phishing site (pepecoin.vip) and a fake X (Twitter) account (@pepecoineth_) that had accumulated over 11,800 followers.”

    reviewerWithin days of launch, PeckShield identified a phishing site (pepecoin.vip) and fake X account (@pepecoineth_, 11,800+ followers) resulting in theft of ~3.56 billion PEPE tokens across two transactionsMatches the cited primary source.
    citedthecryptobasic.com/2023/04/19/pepe-coin-…56b-pepe-tokens/
12. #14[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Third-Party Scams and Ecosystem Fraud

    “Additionally, the official PEPE website was later exploited and redirected users to a wallet drainer.”

    reviewerThe official PEPE website was later exploited and redirected users to a wallet drainerEvent confirmed, though it occurred far later (~Dec 2025) than the April-May 2023 scam wave the rest of the paragraph discusses; the vague wording avoids a factual error but readers could be misled about timing. Flagged as a minor clarity gap, not a factual dispute.
    citedcoinmarketcap.com/academy/article/pepe-w…o-wallet-drainer
13. #17[confirmed][no action needed]in the timeline

    “On December 9, 2024, PEPE reaches all-time high price of approximately $0.00002829, with a corresponding market cap of approximately $11 billion.”

    reviewerOn December 9, 2024, PEPE reached an all-time high of ~$0.00002829 with a market cap of ~$11 billionCould not directly fetch the article due to a 403 block; relying on title/metadata match and consistent secondary corroboration (CCN's 1,900% 2024 rally figure is directionally consistent).
    citedwww.fxstreet.com/cryptocurrencies/news/p…ion-202412090742
14. #21[confirmed][no action needed]in the timeline

    “PEPE reaches a then-all-time high of approximately $0.00001074”

    reviewerOn March 14, 2024, PEPE reached a then-all-time high of approximately $0.00001074Figure confirmed as a 'then' ATH; note a higher ATH (~$0.00001725) was reportedly set in May 2024 before the final December 2024 ATH, which the timeline omits -- flagged separately as a coverage gap rather than an error, since the page's wording ('then-all-time high') remains technically accurate.
    citedwww.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/pepe-all-time-high-price/
15. #22[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Market Performance and Volatility

    “As of the investigation date in May 2026, PEPE is ranked approximately #53 by market capitalization at approximately $1.7 billion.”

    reviewerAs of the investigation date (May 2026), PEPE is ranked approximately #53 by market capitalization at approximately $1.7 billionConfirmed via an independent May 2026 article.
    citedcoinmarketcap.com/currencies/pepe/