Verify a decision

{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"893561e2-5033-4984-b37d-3bb28a38a681","kind":"publish","page_slug":"austin-fine-xmrfine","published_at":"2026-09-16T12:04:17.426Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Austin Fine (@xmrfine)","sections":[{"content":"Austin Fine operates under the online handle @xmrfine on the X platform (formerly Twitter). The handle's 'xmr' prefix references Monero (XMR), a privacy-focused cryptocurrency. Fine operates within the crypto community and, according to ZachXBT's allegations, had existing brand partnerships in the space. No verified public biographical details — age, location, or professional role — have been independently confirmed through Tier 1 or Tier 2 sources as of the investigation date.","heading":"Background and Identity","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Austin Fine of Money Laundering for a $245 Million Crypto Scam Perpetrator — KuCoin","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/zachxbt-accuses-austin-fine-of-money-laundering-for-245m-crypto-scam-perpetrator"}]},{"content":"On September 9, 2026, on-chain investigator ZachXBT published allegations on X (formerly Twitter) accusing Austin Fine (@xmrfine) of allegedly exchanging stolen cryptocurrency assets belonging to Malone Lam's victims for luxury goods, and charging fees for that conversion. ZachXBT alleged that Fine's role in the arrangement amounted to money laundering facilitation. ZachXBT traced a portion of funds on-chain, asserting that the path ran through Monero — a privacy coin designed to obscure transaction trails — and then on to Los Angeles-area luxury car dealership TBTFW, where vehicles were allegedly purchased using the converted proceeds. ZachXBT also alleged that Fine 'may have snitched,' characterizing him as a possible informant, without providing public evidence for that specific sub-claim. These are allegations made by a private investigator, not a law enforcement agency or court, and have not been adjudicated. ZachXBT also stated he would sever ties with Fine and undermine all of Fine's current and future brand partnerships until victims received compensation.","heading":"ZachXBT Allegations: Laundering Stolen Funds","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Austin Fine of Money Laundering for a $245 Million Crypto Scam Perpetrator — KuCoin","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/zachxbt-accuses-austin-fine-of-money-laundering-for-245m-crypto-scam-perpetrator"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Crypto User of Laundering Stolen Assets — Phemex News","type":"news_article","url":"https://phemex.com/news/article/zachxbt-accuses-crypto-user-of-laundering-stolen-assets-for-luxury-goods-96506"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Crypto Practitioner of Assisting in Money Laundering and Pressures Him to Compensate Victims — PANews English","type":"news_article","url":"https://panews.io/articles/01a0843c-01af-73a1-80db-2ac0319a47bf"}]},{"content":"ZachXBT stated that he traced a portion of the stolen funds on-chain through a Monero mixing step before the trail led to TBTFW, a luxury car dealership based in the Los Angeles/Beverly Hills area. Monero's privacy architecture — which uses ring signatures and stealth addresses — is commonly employed to break the on-chain link between source and destination wallets, and is a known technique in crypto money laundering. TBTFW's website describes itself as a dealer in exclusive, high-end vehicles. The specific vehicles allegedly purchased, the transaction amounts, and the wallet addresses involved have not been independently verified through a Tier 1 source. ZachXBT has a documented track record of on-chain investigations that have contributed to law enforcement arrests in prior cases, but the on-chain claims specific to Austin Fine had not been corroborated by law enforcement or independent analysts as of September 16, 2026.","heading":"On-Chain Evidence: Monero Mixing and TBTFW","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Crypto Practitioner of Facilitating Money Laundering of Stolen Assets — KuCoin","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/zachxbt-accuses-crypto-practitioner-of-facilitating-money-laundering-of-stolen-assets"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TBTFW — Official Website","type":"official","url":"https://www.tbtfw.com/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Crypto User of Laundering Stolen Assets — Phemex News","type":"news_article","url":"https://phemex.com/news/article/zachxbt-accuses-crypto-user-of-laundering-stolen-assets-for-luxury-goods-96506"}]},{"content":"The allegations against Austin Fine are rooted in the broader Malone Lam RICO case. Malone Lam, a 22-year-old Singaporean national, pleaded guilty on September 8, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to one count of participating in a racketeering conspiracy. Lam was identified by prosecutors as the ringleader of an international criminal enterprise that stole and laundered more than $245 million in cryptocurrency, primarily through the August 2024 theft of more than 4,100 Bitcoin from a single Washington, D.C.-based victim — described by authorities as the largest known single-victim cryptocurrency heist in history. The enterprise operated from approximately October 2023 through May 2025, with at least 18 defendants charged and 11 guilty pleas entered as of the investigation date. Lam faces up to 20 years in prison; a status hearing is scheduled for December 8, 2026. The RICO structure involved specialized roles including database hackers, researchers, social engineers, and money launderers. Austin Fine is not named as a defendant in the public DOJ charging documents identified in this investigation.","heading":"Underlying Case: Malone Lam's $245 Million RICO Guilty Plea","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Malone Lam Pleads Guilty to $245 Million Bitcoin Theft Conspiracy — QZ","type":"news_article","url":"https://qz.com/malone-lam-guilty-plea-bitcoin-theft-racketeering-090926"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Malone Lam Convicted of Masterminding $245 Million Crypto Crime Ring — Forbes","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveweisman/2026/09/12/malone-lam-convicted-of-masterminding--245-million-crypto-crime-ring/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Singaporean Ringleader of $245 Million Cryptocurrency Racketeering Enterprise Pleads Guilty — DOJ","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/singaporean-ringleader-245-million-cryptocurrency-racketeering-enterprise-pleads-guilty"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Who Is Malone Lam? $245 Million Bitcoin RICO Conspiracy Case Explained — Oliver Willis","type":"news_article","url":"https://oliverwillis.com/who-is-malone-lam-245-million-bitcoin-rico-conspiracy-case-explained/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Malone Lam Pleads Guilty in $245M Cryptocurrency Theft RICO Case — Crypto Potato","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptopotato.com/crypto-crime-empire-crumbles-as-22-year-old-ringleader-malone-lam-pleads-guilty/"}]},{"content":"In addition to the money laundering facilitation allegations, ZachXBT alleged that Austin Fine 'may have snitched,' characterizing him as a possible informant — implying Fine may have provided information to law enforcement about Malone Lam's network. This sub-allegation was presented by ZachXBT with a qualifier ('may have') and no supporting on-chain evidence was publicly cited for this specific claim. No law enforcement statement or court document has corroborated or addressed the informant claim as of September 16, 2026. This allegation should be treated as low confidence and unverified.","heading":"Informant Allegation","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Crypto Practitioner of Facilitating Money Laundering of Stolen Assets — KuCoin","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/zachxbt-accuses-crypto-practitioner-of-facilitating-money-laundering-of-stolen-assets"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Crypto Practitioner of Assisting in Money Laundering and Pressures Him to Compensate Victims — PANews English","type":"news_article","url":"https://panews.io/articles/01a0843c-01af-73a1-80db-2ac0319a47bf"}]},{"content":"As of September 16, 2026, no criminal charges, indictment, or arrest have been publicly reported against Austin Fine in connection with the Malone Lam RICO case or any related money laundering investigation. Fine is not named as a defendant in any identified DOJ press release, court filing, or regulatory action. The absence of charges does not constitute exoneration and does not preclude future law enforcement action; investigations of alleged money laundering facilitators in multi-defendant RICO cases often proceed on independent timelines. ZachXBT's allegations against Fine are civil in nature — demanding victim compensation and threatening brand-partner consequences — and do not carry the force of criminal proceedings.","heading":"Legal Status and Criminal Charges","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Austin Fine of Money Laundering for a $245 Million Crypto Scam Perpetrator — KuCoin","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/zachxbt-accuses-austin-fine-of-money-laundering-for-245m-crypto-scam-perpetrator"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Singaporean Ringleader of $245 Million Cryptocurrency Racketeering Enterprise Pleads Guilty — DOJ","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/singaporean-ringleader-245-million-cryptocurrency-racketeering-enterprise-pleads-guilty"}]},{"content":"No public statement, denial, or response from Austin Fine (@xmrfine) regarding ZachXBT's allegations has been identified in any source reviewed for this investigation. The absence of a documented response may reflect a decision not to engage publicly, account deletion or deactivation, or simply the absence of coverage of any response that may have occurred.","heading":"Response from Austin Fine","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Crypto User of Laundering Stolen Assets — Phemex News","type":"news_article","url":"https://phemex.com/news/article/zachxbt-accuses-crypto-user-of-laundering-stolen-assets-for-luxury-goods-96506"}]},{"content":"The primary source for all allegations against Austin Fine is ZachXBT, a pseudonymous on-chain investigator whose prior work has been cited by law enforcement and major news outlets in connection with the original Malone Lam arrests in September 2024. ZachXBT's track record lends his investigations moderate credibility (Tier 2), but his posts are not equivalent to a law enforcement finding, regulatory action, or court judgment. Secondary sources (KuCoin, Phemex, PANews) are crypto news outlets that reported ZachXBT's post without independent verification. No Tier 1 source — court filing, regulatory action, or major general-news outlet — has independently corroborated the specific allegations against Austin Fine as of the investigation date. Accordingly, the confidence score for this investigation reflects the Tier 2 sourcing floor.","heading":"Source Credibility Assessment","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT — Wikipedia","type":"other","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZachXBT"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Two Arrested for $230 Crypto Heist Based on ZachXBT's Investigation — Cyber Insider","type":"news_article","url":"https://cyberinsider.com/two-arrested-for-230-crypto-heist-based-on-zachxbts-investigation/"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Austin Fine of Money Laundering for a $245 Million Crypto Scam Perpetrator — KuCoin","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/zachxbt-accuses-austin-fine-of-money-laundering-for-245m-crypto-scam-perpetrator"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Crypto Practitioner of Facilitating Money Laundering of Stolen Assets — KuCoin","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/zachxbt-accuses-crypto-practitioner-of-facilitating-money-laundering-of-stolen-assets"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Crypto User of Laundering Stolen Assets for Luxury Goods — Phemex News","type":"news_article","url":"https://phemex.com/news/article/zachxbt-accuses-crypto-user-of-laundering-stolen-assets-for-luxury-goods-96506"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Accuses Crypto Practitioner of Assisting in Money Laundering and Pressures Him to Compensate Victims — PANews English","type":"news_article","url":"https://panews.io/articles/01a0843c-01af-73a1-80db-2ac0319a47bf"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Malone Lam Pleads Guilty to $245 Million Bitcoin Theft Conspiracy — QZ","type":"news_article","url":"https://qz.com/malone-lam-guilty-plea-bitcoin-theft-racketeering-090926"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Malone Lam Convicted of Masterminding $245 Million Crypto Crime Ring — Forbes","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveweisman/2026/09/12/malone-lam-convicted-of-masterminding--245-million-crypto-crime-ring/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Singaporean Ringleader of $245 Million Cryptocurrency Racketeering Enterprise Pleads Guilty — DOJ","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/singaporean-ringleader-245-million-cryptocurrency-racketeering-enterprise-pleads-guilty"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Who Is Malone Lam? $245 Million Bitcoin RICO Conspiracy Case Explained — Oliver Willis","type":"news_article","url":"https://oliverwillis.com/who-is-malone-lam-245-million-bitcoin-rico-conspiracy-case-explained/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Malone Lam Pleads Guilty in $245M Cryptocurrency Theft RICO Case — Crypto Potato","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptopotato.com/crypto-crime-empire-crumbles-as-22-year-old-ringleader-malone-lam-pleads-guilty/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Two Arrested for $230 Crypto Heist Based on ZachXBT's Investigation — Cyber Insider","type":"news_article","url":"https://cyberinsider.com/two-arrested-for-230-crypto-heist-based-on-zachxbts-investigation/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TBTFW — Official Website","type":"official","url":"https://www.tbtfw.com/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT — Wikipedia","type":"other","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZachXBT"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Malone Lam Pleads Guilty to $245M Bitcoin Theft and Lavish Spending — KuCoin","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/malone-lam-pleads-guilty-to-245m-bitcoin-theft-and-lavish-spending"}],"summary":"Austin Fine, known online as @xmrfine, is a crypto-adjacent individual who on September 9, 2026 was publicly accused by on-chain investigator ZachXBT of allegedly facilitating money laundering on behalf of Malone Lam, the ringleader of a $245 million cryptocurrency theft ring who pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy on September 8, 2026. ZachXBT alleged that Fine converted stolen crypto assets into luxury goods — including vehicles purchased through Beverly Hills dealership TBTFW — using Monero as an intermediary, and charged fees for doing so. As of September 16, 2026, no criminal charges have been filed against Austin Fine, and no public response from Fine has been documented.","timeline":[{"date":"2024-08-01","event":"Malone Lam and co-conspirators allegedly steal more than 4,100 Bitcoin (approximately $245 million) from a Washington, D.C.-based victim using a social engineering scheme impersonating Google and Gemini representatives.","source":"DOJ — Singaporean Ringleader of $245 Million Cryptocurrency Racketeering Enterprise Pleads Guilty","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/singaporean-ringleader-245-million-cryptocurrency-racketeering-enterprise-pleads-guilty"},{"date":"2024-09-01","event":"Malone Lam and Jeandiel Serrano are arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering in connection with the $230–245 million Bitcoin theft.","source":"DOJ — Indictment Charges Two in $230 Million Cryptocurrency Scam","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/indictment-charges-two-230-million-cryptocurrency-scam"},{"date":"2026-09-08","event":"Malone Lam pleads guilty in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to one count of participating in a racketeering (RICO) conspiracy. He faces up to 20 years in prison; a status hearing is set for December 8, 2026.","source":"QZ — Malone Lam Pleads Guilty to $245 Million Bitcoin Theft Conspiracy","source_url":"https://qz.com/malone-lam-guilty-plea-bitcoin-theft-racketeering-090926"},{"date":"2026-09-09","event":"On-chain investigator ZachXBT publicly accuses Austin Fine (@xmrfine) of allegedly facilitating money laundering for Malone Lam by converting stolen crypto assets into luxury goods via Monero and Beverly Hills dealership TBTFW, charging fees for the service. ZachXBT also alleges Fine may have acted as an informant and announces severance of ties pending victim compensation.","source":"KuCoin — ZachXBT Accuses Austin Fine of Money Laundering for a $245 Million Crypto Scam Perpetrator","source_url":"https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/zachxbt-accuses-austin-fine-of-money-laundering-for-245m-crypto-scam-perpetrator"},{"date":"2026-09-12","event":"Forbes publishes coverage of Malone Lam's conviction and the broader $245 million crypto crime ring.","source":"Forbes — Malone Lam Convicted of Masterminding $245 Million Crypto Crime Ring","source_url":"https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveweisman/2026/09/12/malone-lam-convicted-of-masterminding--245-million-crypto-crime-ring/"},{"date":"2026-09-16","event":"As of this date, no criminal charges have been publicly reported against Austin Fine. No public response from Fine has been identified.","source":"AVOID.NET investigation (absence of charges confirmed via DOJ and court record searches)","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/singaporean-ringleader-245-million-cryptocurrency-racketeering-enterprise-pleads-guilty"}]},"v":1}