Verify a decision

{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"33fae8da-5f8a-43dc-a6fc-d745133d059e","kind":"publish","page_slug":"pumpfun","published_at":"2026-05-16T04:29:05.669Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"pump.fun","sections":[{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[]}],"sources_used":[],"summary":"pump.fun (operated by Baton Corporation Ltd., also listed on AVOID.NET as 'pumpdotfun') is a Solana-based meme token launchpad that launched in January 2024 and rapidly became one of the most-used token creation platforms in crypto, generating over $800 million in cumulative revenue and more than 11.9 million tokens. The platform is subject to an active RICO class action lawsuit in the SDNY alleging up to $5.5 billion in retail losses, a UK FCA regulatory ban, a $1.9 million insider flash loan exploit, documented use by North Korea's Lazarus Group for money laundering, and independent research classifying 98.6% of its tokens as rug pulls or fraud.","timeline":[{"date":"2024-01-19","event":"pump.fun launches on Solana as a meme token launchpad with a bonding curve mechanism.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.21shares.com/en-us/insights/pump-fun-101-the-meme-coin-platform-powering-solana"},{"date":"2024-05-16","event":"Former employee Jarett Dunn (STACCOverflow) exploits pump.fun via MarginFi flash loans, stealing approximately $1.9 million (12,300 SOL) using a privileged service account key.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/294959/solana-token-launcher-pump-fun-suffers-flash-loan-exploit"},{"date":"2024-05-17","event":"Jarett Dunn is arrested by London Metropolitan Police at the Middle Eight Hotel, Covent Garden. He is charged with alleged theft from employer and released on bail.","source":"","source_url":"https://blockworks.co/news/pump-dot-fun-exploiter-arrest-london"},{"date":"2024-08-01","event":"pump.fun removes its 0.02 SOL token creation fee, further lowering barriers to token launches.","source":"","source_url":"https://phemex.com/academy/what-is-pump-fun-solana-meme-coin-launchpad-pump-token"},{"date":"2024-12-03","event":"UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) publishes official warning that pump.fun is unauthorized to operate in the UK.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.fca.org.uk/news/warnings/pumpfun"},{"date":"2024-12-06","event":"pump.fun updates its terms of service and implements a geoblock to ban UK users, in response to the FCA warning.","source":"","source_url":"https://cryptoslate.com/pump-fun-updates-terms-to-block-uk-users-days-after-fca-warning/"},{"date":"2025-01-16","event":"Initial class action lawsuit filed in SDNY over pump.fun's alleged securities violations, anchored to the $PNUT token.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69593359/aguilar-v-baton-corporation-ltd-dba-pumpfun/"},{"date":"2025-01-30","event":"Second class action complaint filed in SDNY (Aguilar v. Baton Corporation Ltd.), naming Baton Corporation and co-founders Cohen, Kerler, and Tweedale. Cases later consolidated.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/01/30/pump-fun-hit-with-proposed-class-action-lawsuit-alleging-securities-violations"},{"date":"2025-02-26","event":"pump.fun's official X account (@pumpdotfun) is hacked; attackers promote a fraudulent 'PUMP' governance token that briefly reaches a $5 million market cap before collapsing. ZachXBT links the breach to prior X account hacks.","source":"","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/307857/pump-fun-x-account-hacked-solana-meme-coin"},{"date":"2025-02-26","event":"Lazarus Group, following the $1.5 billion Bybit hack, deploys a meme coin (QinShihuang) on pump.fun to launder approximately $26 million in stolen funds. pump.fun later removes the token from its front end.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/lazarus-group-meme-coin-launder-26m-bybit/"},{"date":"2025-03-20","event":"pump.fun launches PumpSwap, a proprietary Solana AMM that replaces Raydium as the graduation destination for bonding curve tokens. PumpSwap rapidly becomes the second-largest Solana AMM by volume.","source":"","source_url":"https://blockworks.com/news/pumpswap-large-amm-solana"},{"date":"2025-05-07","event":"Solidus Labs publishes report classifying 98.6% of pump.fun tokens as rug pulls or pump-and-dump schemes, based on analysis of over 7 million tokens. pump.fun disputes the findings.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/05/07/98-of-tokens-on-pump-fun-have-been-rug-pulls-or-an-act-of-fraud-new-report-says"},{"date":"2025-07-22","event":"Amended RICO complaint filed in SDNY, expanding defendants to include Solana Labs, Solana Foundation, Jito Labs, and senior executives. Estimated retail losses cited as $4–5.5 billion.","source":"","source_url":"https://cryptoslate.com/solana-labs-jito-labs-hit-with-rico-charges-in-amended-pump-fun-fraud-lawsuit/"},{"date":"2025-09-30","event":"Jito Labs, the Jito Foundation, and Jito leadership voluntarily dismissed from the RICO class action.","source":"","source_url":"https://www.wolfpopper.com/news/pumpfun-class-action-lawsuit-expands-with-consolidated-amended-complaint-adding-rico-allegations-and-new-defendants"},{"date":"2025-12-11","event":"Judge Colleen McMahon approves filing of second amended complaint after plaintiffs obtain over 5,000 private messages from Solana Labs and pump.fun engineers.","source":"","source_url":"https://yellow.com/news/judge-approves-expansion-of-solana-pumpfun-lawsuit-after-5000-internal-chats-surface"}]},"v":1}