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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"197af20a-93f9-4cbb-9a18-d052cd62de0b","kind":"publish","page_slug":"yelo-yelotree","published_at":"2026-06-04T20:53:31.632Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Yelo (yelotree)","sections":[{"content":"The identifier 'Yelo' and handle 'yelotree' map to a single individual: a crypto influencer and former Fortnite professional player operating under these names across social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter) and Twitch. The entity is distinct from two low-liquidity Solana tokens that bear the same branding: (1) YELO (contract address EbRNSUocCutoNgMjWLUYRMEaVCo23ard3BNSWYv4BAGS), listed on CoinSwitch with no meaningful market cap data and buy-restricted due to low liquidity; and (2) 'Yelotree's Secret Launch' (ticker: YELOTREE, contract address FUzmXLDZr3vUDu3foty6562iQBJPUDcBXF7wTrV8AiX), visible on Solana Tracker and Solscan with only five holders and near-zero price. Neither token has an independently verifiable development team or roadmap, and both appear to be community-created fan tokens or opportunistic deployments rather than projects officially launched by Yelo himself. The primary entity of investigative concern is the influencer, not these tokens.","heading":"Entity Overview and Ambiguity","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"YELOTREE (YELO) on Solana - CoinSwitch","type":"on_chain","url":"https://coinswitch.co/web3/yelo-EbRNSUocCutoNgMjWLUYRMEaVCo23ard3BNSWYv4BAGS"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Yelotree's Secret Launch token on Solana Tracker","type":"on_chain","url":"https://www.solanatracker.io/tokens/FUzmXLDZr3vUDu3foty6562iQBJPUDcBXF7wTrV8AiX"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Token Yelotree's Secret Launch on Solscan","type":"on_chain","url":"https://solscan.io/token/Btrb8U1Ugq9LXhbc4cTyHTKzDCMAreYf6XNP8E6mrJae"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Yelo - Fortnite Esports Wiki - Fandom","type":"other","url":"https://fortnite-esports.fandom.com/wiki/Yelo"}]},{"content":"In May 2026, blockchain investigator ZachXBT publicly reported that the crypto KOL known as Yelo (@yelotree) had been criminally charged in connection with allegedly laundering funds stolen through a social engineering cryptocurrency theft. According to multiple crypto news outlets, prosecutors alleged that Yelo used his Miami-based luxury car rental business to wash illicit proceeds on behalf of threat actors, and he faces a potential sentence of up to 30 years in prison if convicted. The charges were reported to have surfaced contemporaneously with the May 11, 2026 unsealing of a separate federal criminal complaint against Trenton Johnson — also referred to as Trenton Richard David Johnston in some coverage — regarding the theft of 185 BTC (valued at approximately $13 million at the time of the theft on March 14, 2026). ZachXBT identified Dritan Kapllani Jr. as an alleged co-conspirator in that underlying theft network who allegedly received approximately $5.3 million in proceeds from the 185 BTC theft. Yelotree's alleged role was not as a direct participant in the theft itself but as an alleged downstream money laundering facilitator. The specific case number and charging instrument for Yelotree's case were not publicly reproduced in sources reviewed. No verified DOJ press release specifically naming Yelo or yelotree by legal name was located during this investigation; the primary public sourcing remains ZachXBT's X post and subsequent crypto-press coverage. All claims of criminality should be regarded as alleged until adjudicated.","heading":"Federal Criminal Charges: Alleged Money Laundering","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"ZachXBT on X: Yelo charged of laundering for threat actors via Miami luxury car rental","type":"social_media","url":"https://x.com/zachxbt/status/2054039131676954798"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT: Crypto KOL Yelo faces up to 30 years in prison - PANews","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.panewslab.com/en/articles/019e1a9f-9826-72ac-9438-4bbe0bd0cf3c"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT exposes alleged 18-year-old crypto thief tied to $19 million in scams - Cryptopolitan","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/zachxbt-exposes-crypto-scammer-of-19m/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Links Teen Crypto Flaunter to $19M Theft Network - CryptoPotato","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptopotato.com/zachxbt-links-teen-crypto-flaunter-to-19m-theft-network/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Exposes Dritan Kapllani Jr. For $19M Social Engineering Crypto Theft - CryptoTimes","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/05/12/teenager-exposed-for-19m-social-engineering-crypto-theft-federal-charges-filed/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Miami luxury car rental business owner faces $13M DOJ crypto fraud indictment - Cryptopolitan","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/miami-luxury-business-owner-crypto-fraud/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"DOJ indicts 19-year-old Canadian and Miami co-conspirator in $13 million crypto fraud scheme - CryptoNews.net","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptonews.net/news/legal/32849997/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Yelo: Faces 30 Years for Laundering 185 BTC - Blockchain.news","type":"news_article","url":"https://blockchain.news/flashnews/yelo-faces-30-years-laundering-185-btc"}]},{"content":"In October 2024, the Solana-based memecoin Sharpei (SHAR) launched with significant influencer promotion and quickly reached a reported market capitalization of approximately $54 million. Yelotree, who at the time had approximately 180,000 followers, was listed in a leaked project pitch deck as one of more than 50 'tier 1 KOLs' enlisted to promote the project. Yelotree posted about Sharpei on social media without disclosing any financial relationship to the project. When Decrypt contacted him following the project's collapse, Yelotree acknowledged that he had been paid for the promotion approximately three months prior to the launch but confirmed that this financial arrangement was not disclosed in his promotional tweet. The Sharpei token subsequently collapsed 96.3% in approximately two seconds following what on-chain analysts at Bubblemaps identified as a coordinated sale: approximately 60% of the total token supply, distributed across more than 100 wallets at launch, was consolidated into a single wallet that liquidated the entire position for approximately $3.4 million. The absence of promotional disclosure constitutes a violation of standard influencer marketing transparency norms and, depending on jurisdiction, may implicate securities promotion regulations. No regulatory enforcement action specifically naming Yelotree in connection with the Sharpei promotion had been publicly reported as of the time of this investigation.","heading":"Undisclosed Paid Promotion: Sharpei Memecoin Rug Pull","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Solana Meme Coin Sharpei Plunges 96% in Seconds in Epic Rug Pull - Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/288160/solana-meme-coin-sharpei-epic-rug-pull"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Sharpei memecoin rug pulls for $3.4 million - Web3 Is Going Great","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.web3isgoinggreat.com/single/sharpei-memecoin-rug-pull"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Leaked documents accuse memecoin project Sharpei of cooperating with KOLs - Binance Square","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/15328852537409"}]},{"content":"Yelo is identified across gaming-industry sources as a former professional Fortnite player who competed for teams including FaZe Clan and Luminosity Gaming. He began producing Fortnite content in approximately 2018, grew his following through competitive play and streaming, and later transitioned to the crypto influencer space. He operated a luxury car rental business in Miami alongside his influencer activities. His X account (@yelotree) had approximately 180,000 followers as of the Sharpei coverage in October 2024. The timing of his transition from gaming to crypto KOL work, and the degree to which the rental car business was established independently of crypto activity versus as an alleged laundering vehicle, was not independently determinable from available public sources.","heading":"Background: Gaming and Influencer Career","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT: Crypto KOL Yelo faces up to 30 years in prison - PANews","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.panewslab.com/en/articles/019e1a9f-9826-72ac-9438-4bbe0bd0cf3c"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Yelo (@yelotree) on X","type":"social_media","url":"https://twitter.com/yelotree"}]},{"content":"Two Solana-based tokens bear names associated with the yelotree handle. The first, YELO (contract: EbRNSUocCutoNgMjWLUYRMEaVCo23ard3BNSWYv4BAGS), appears on CoinSwitch with buy functionality disabled due to low liquidity. The second, 'Yelotree's Secret Launch' (ticker: YELOTREE, contract: FUzmXLDZr3vUDu3foty6562iQBJPUDcBXF7wTrV8AiX), is listed on Solana Tracker with only five holders and no meaningful trading volume. No publicly available evidence links either token to an official project launched or endorsed by Yelo himself. The extremely low holder counts and liquidity for both tokens are consistent with opportunistically minted community tokens rather than any formally organized project. Prospective buyers should exercise extreme caution, as these tokens carry high rug-pull risk by virtue of their structure alone.","heading":"Associated Solana Tokens: YELO and YELOTREE","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"YELOTREE (YELO) on Solana - CoinSwitch","type":"on_chain","url":"https://coinswitch.co/web3/yelo-EbRNSUocCutoNgMjWLUYRMEaVCo23ard3BNSWYv4BAGS"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Yelotree's Secret Launch token on Solana Tracker","type":"on_chain","url":"https://www.solanatracker.io/tokens/FUzmXLDZr3vUDu3foty6562iQBJPUDcBXF7wTrV8AiX"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Token Yelotree's Secret Launch on Solscan","type":"on_chain","url":"https://solscan.io/token/Btrb8U1Ugq9LXhbc4cTyHTKzDCMAreYf6XNP8E6mrJae"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":3,"name":"ZachXBT on X: Yelo charged of laundering for threat actors","type":"social_media","url":"https://x.com/zachxbt/status/2054039131676954798"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT: Crypto KOL Yelo faces up to 30 years in prison - PANews","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.panewslab.com/en/articles/019e1a9f-9826-72ac-9438-4bbe0bd0cf3c"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT exposes alleged 18-year-old crypto thief tied to $19 million in scams - Cryptopolitan","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/zachxbt-exposes-crypto-scammer-of-19m/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Links Teen Crypto Flaunter to $19M Theft Network - CryptoPotato","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptopotato.com/zachxbt-links-teen-crypto-flaunter-to-19m-theft-network/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Exposes Dritan Kapllani Jr. For $19M Social Engineering Crypto Theft - CryptoTimes","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/05/12/teenager-exposed-for-19m-social-engineering-crypto-theft-federal-charges-filed/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Miami luxury car rental business owner faces $13M DOJ crypto fraud indictment - Cryptopolitan","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/miami-luxury-business-owner-crypto-fraud/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"DOJ indicts 19-year-old Canadian and Miami co-conspirator in $13M crypto fraud scheme - CryptoNews.net","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptonews.net/news/legal/32849997/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Solana Meme Coin Sharpei Plunges 96% in Seconds in Epic Rug Pull - Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/288160/solana-meme-coin-sharpei-epic-rug-pull"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Sharpei memecoin rug pulls for $3.4 million - Web3 Is Going Great","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.web3isgoinggreat.com/single/sharpei-memecoin-rug-pull"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Leaked documents accuse memecoin project Sharpei of cooperating with KOLs - Binance Square","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/15328852537409"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Yelo: Faces 30 Years for Laundering 185 BTC - Blockchain.news","type":"news_article","url":"https://blockchain.news/flashnews/yelo-faces-30-years-laundering-185-btc"},{"credibility":2,"name":"YELOTREE (YELO) on Solana - CoinSwitch","type":"on_chain","url":"https://coinswitch.co/web3/yelo-EbRNSUocCutoNgMjWLUYRMEaVCo23ard3BNSWYv4BAGS"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Yelotree's Secret Launch token on Solana Tracker","type":"on_chain","url":"https://www.solanatracker.io/tokens/FUzmXLDZr3vUDu3foty6562iQBJPUDcBXF7wTrV8AiX"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Token Yelotree's Secret Launch on Solscan","type":"on_chain","url":"https://solscan.io/token/Btrb8U1Ugq9LXhbc4cTyHTKzDCMAreYf6XNP8E6mrJae"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Yelo (@yelotree) on X","type":"social_media","url":"https://twitter.com/yelotree"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT exposes alleged 18-year-old crypto thief tied to $19 million in scams - MEXC News","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.mexc.com/news/1085230"}],"summary":"Yelo, known online as @yelotree, is a crypto key opinion leader (KOL) and former professional Fortnite esports player with approximately 180,000 Twitter followers who also operated a luxury car rental business in Miami. As of May 2026, Yelo faces federal criminal charges alleging he laundered funds stolen from cryptocurrency holders through that rental business, with a potential sentence of up to 30 years. Separately, Yelo participated in undisclosed paid promotion of the Sharpei memecoin on Solana in October 2024, which subsequently suffered a documented rug pull that erased 96% of its market value.","timeline":[{"date":"2018-08-01","event":"Yelo begins producing regular Fortnite content and competing professionally, later joining FaZe Clan and Luminosity Gaming.","source":"PANews / ZachXBT reporting","source_url":"https://www.panewslab.com/en/articles/019e1a9f-9826-72ac-9438-4bbe0bd0cf3c"},{"date":"2024-07-01","event":"Yelotree is alleged to have received payment from the Sharpei memecoin project for promotional services, approximately three months before the token's public launch.","source":"Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/288160/solana-meme-coin-sharpei-epic-rug-pull"},{"date":"2024-10-23","event":"Sharpei (SHAR) launches on Solana and reaches a reported $54 million market cap through influencer promotion. Yelotree posts about the project without disclosing prior payment. The token collapses 96.3% in approximately two seconds; $3.4 million is extracted via coordinated insider wallets.","source":"Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/288160/solana-meme-coin-sharpei-epic-rug-pull"},{"date":"2026-03-14","event":"185 BTC (approximately $13 million) is stolen from a victim via social engineering. Funds are subsequently traced through a network including co-conspirators Dritan Kapllani Jr. and Trenton Johnson.","source":"Cryptopolitan / CryptoPotato","source_url":"https://www.cryptopolitan.com/zachxbt-exposes-crypto-scammer-of-19m/"},{"date":"2026-05-11","event":"US federal authorities unseal a criminal complaint against Trenton Johnson (also identified as Trenton Richard David Johnston) in connection with the 185 BTC theft, charging him with offenses carrying up to 40 years in prison.","source":"CryptoTimes","source_url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/05/12/teenager-exposed-for-19m-social-engineering-crypto-theft-federal-charges-filed/"},{"date":"2026-05-12","event":"Blockchain investigator ZachXBT publicly identifies Dritan Kapllani Jr. as an alleged co-conspirator in the $19 million social engineering theft network and simultaneously reports that Yelo (@yelotree) has been criminally charged for allegedly laundering stolen funds through his Miami luxury car rental business, facing up to 30 years in prison.","source":"ZachXBT on X / Cryptopolitan / PANews","source_url":"https://x.com/zachxbt/status/2054039131676954798"}]},"v":1}