For anyone not in the know, @gabagooldoteth was a prolific industry figure who cultivated a reputation as a good guy. He was seen as an exposer of wrong doers, the founder @InfoTokenDAO, and much more. His reputation alone was worth multiple millions. https://x.com/KenWattana/statu...

I was a few months into DeFi when he DMed me on X and asked me to come to help out with veDAO, Velodrome's predecessor. This guy had a sterling reputation and gave me my big break. Like many, I was willing to look past the things that often felt off. https://x.com/wagmiAlexander/s...

Velodrome launched straight into Luna collapse -- the timing could not have been worse -- Velo looked in many senses dead on arrival. We had a mere ~$350,000 to try to turn things around. A month after launch we woke up on day to find it gone. https://x.com/VelodromeFi/stat...

It is important to note that when things like this happen to a new and unproven team, the assumption is just that the team itself rugged. I was the only fully doxxed member of the team -- totally new to the space -- and he left me holding the bag. https://x.com/rageplanet/statu...

I mean for gods sake, this guy had face doxxed on a @VICENews documentary about crypto scammers just a few months prior. People thought he was untouchable. https://x.com/thedefiedge/stat...

Nearly everyone on the team could've walked at this point. For most, it was as easy as deleting their Discord handles. We had no money, the product barely worked, and we didn't know who robbed us -- it would've been hard to blame them. But instead, they got work catching him.

It is important to note just how premeditated the attack was. In the weeks prior, Gaba had joked about having a dream our funds being drained. He had been testing Tornado. Misused IT DAO funds. He knew I was stuck in Europe w/ COVID + close to being hospitalized.

And what made it worse was just the absolute gaslighting. I am bedridden, stuck abroad, questioning everything -- and he is my DMs using the fact that he knows @JimmyXKF and I fight a lot to pin it on him. He is asking about my health, feigning concern.

As the investigation closes in on him, another huge twist. The Department of the Treasury sanctions Tornado cash -- meaning not only is he now extra fucked if he withdraws it, but we can't use it either. Thats it. Its over. Our runway is gone. https://home.treasury.gov/news...

He was absolutely delusional to the bitter end -- even after being caught red handed, the he has the audacity to demand to a bounty. If you find it hard to believe that he would be so crazy as to start a project in our backyard or attend an event let me assure you: he is.

Finally, we expose this all publicly. His reputation so good that the initial response from many is to suggest we are in fact setting him up. Thankfully, @zachxbt who has reviewed the evidence backs us. He posts a self-serving "apology" and disappears.

We choose not pursue legal action for a few reasons: 1) The amount is likely not large enough for law enforcement to act 2) We have no money to deal with it and wounded protocol to save 3) His sister begs us not to, saying he is likely suicidal We assume it is over...

...until I see him last Wednesday in that loft in SoHo. I had long wondered what I would say or do if I saw him again and here I was -- shaking with adrenaline -- needing to make a choice. Three people confirm he is @_proxystudio so I walk over.

I ask: "Do you recognize me?" He seems to genuinely not. I say: "I knew you by a different name: Gabagool." He has the audacity to suggest I'm confused. I say: "I'm not doing that. You've got 24h to dox or I'll do it." He drops the pretense and begs to talk. I leave.

In the following days, I bring the rest of the ecosystem up to speed. Gaba doesn't even have the balls to tell his cofounder @JackDishman who has to hear about it from others -- we meetup to share stories. The parallels between our experiences are wild. Its the same playbook.

The rest is, as they say, history. In plenty of ecosystems this sort of thing would be met with indifference or a desire to hide it, but @JackDishman, @jessepollak, and teams are stellar. Within four days it is fully disclosed. 🫡

Gaba was the first of many hard lessons I've had to learn in the space and this stuff is so incredibly demotivating to deal with. But even in the darkness, there is the light of all the folks who are willing to step up and fight back. That keeps me going.

After Velo and IT disclosed, a lot more bad stuff came to light. He leveraged his reputation to hurt a lot of people. I would not be surprised at all if the same thing happened here + I think the @clankeronbase team deserves our support as they work through it. I've been there.

And @_proxystudio if this ever happens again, my disclosure is coming with your full dox and offer to bankroll lawsuits of anyone you've harmed. Please take the hint.