Trial Lawyer Went After Crypto Companies. Then Someone Went After Him. (sfgate.com) 49
Trial lawyer Kyle Roche has led an interesting life, according to the New York Times. He once earned $100 million selling bitcoin. He helped win a case against Craig Wright (who claims to be Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto) through his law firm Roche Freedman. And Roche also founded a startup that lets people bet on the outcome of (civil) lawsuits, "to make access to justice more affordable."
But something very bad for his career happened in January of 2022 when two businessmen flew Roche from Miami to the U.K. to discuss an investment. When he woke up the next morning, Roche said, he felt groggy... The brain fog was odd because he didn't think he'd had all that much to drink. As he flew back to Miami a few days later, Roche couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
Months passed. Then, one day last summer, Roche's world detonated. A website called Crypto Leaks posted two dozen videos of him that had been secretly recorded during his meetings with Villavicencio and Ager-Hanssen. The videos portrayed Roche and his law firm, Roche Freedman, as being in the pocket of one of their crypto clients [Ava Labs]... In other clips, Roche made it sound like his sole concern, even when representing other clients, was to promote Ava Labs' interests...
One after another, companies that Roche Freedman had sued filed motions to disqualify the firm from their cases. In October, the first of those motions succeeded: A federal judge in New York tossed Roche Freedman from a case it had filed against Tether, the operator of the world's most used "stablecoin." Within days, Roche was forced to resign from the law firm he had founded. With his career in tatters, he said, he enrolled in ethics classes and began to see a therapist.
Roche calls the recorded remarks baseless bluster to impress a prospective investor (and alleges in court there are signs of deep fake alterations). While Roche "was felled by his own loose lips and his overly cozy relationship with a client," the Times reports "he also was the victim of an elaborate international setup." On April 3, 2020, Roche Freedman filed lawsuits seeking class-action status against seven issuers of digital coins, alleging they had pumped what amounted to unregistered securities with false statements and then dumped them, leaving retail investors holding the bag... Those suits were just an opening salvo: Sixteen months later, Roche filed his biggest securities fraud case yet. It alleged that a British entrepreneur, Dominic Williams, and entities he controlled had swindled investors out of billions of dollars by aggressively promoting, and then dumping, a digital coin tied to a grandiose plan to revolutionize computing. Williams had boldly proclaimed that his Internet Computer blockchain — a decentralized network of computers powered by a digital token called ICP — would supplant the big cloud services offered by Amazon and Microsoft and become humanity's primary computing platform. But after an initial surge that briefly made it one of the most valuable cryptocurrencies, ICP had plummeted 92% — a collapse that Roche's lawsuit attributed to "massive" selling by Williams and other insiders. (Williams denied the allegations.)
The Times reports that Roche's prospective investor Ager-Hanssen, "in addition to running his venture capital firm, has long had a sideline digging up dirt on behalf of wealthy clients entangled in business disputes in Britain and Scandinavia. On multiple occasions, he has secretly recorded his targets. For example, in a 2014 interview, he recounted how he had snared the adversary of a Swedish financier with a hidden microphone and boasted that he employed former intelligence officers from the CIA, MI6 and Mossad..." Roche believes them because he thinks he knows who hired Ager-Hanssen: Williams, the British entrepreneur who was the target of Roche Freedman's biggest pump-and-dump lawsuit... On May 12, 2022, Williams wrote on Twitter that he was "coming for" his critics. That was the same day the cryptoleaks.info domain name was registered. That was the same day the cryptoleaks.info domain name was registered. Then, on June 9, 2022, the Crypto Leaks website went live. Billing itself as the defender of "the honest crypto community," it posted two reports that aligned with Williams' interests...
The first espoused a complicated theory about the ICP token crash that Williams had previously floated on Twitter. The second attacked the Times for an article it had published about the crash. Williams tweeted a link to that Crypto Leaks report, calling it "Gobsmacking." The Dfinity Foundation, a Swiss nonprofit that Williams created to oversee his blockchain, has since sued the Times for defamation in New York. The Times is seeking to dismiss the suit. The videos of Roche were the crux of Crypto Leaks' third exposé. After they were published, Williams and Dfinity filed a motion to disqualify Roche Freedman as plaintiffs' counsel in the pump-and-dump lawsuit, saying Roche's comments demonstrated "a disregard for the integrity of the judicial system...."
Last month, the judge overseeing the pump-and-dump case granted Williams' motion and disqualified Freedman Normand Friedland as plaintiffs' counsel.
But something very bad for his career happened in January of 2022 when two businessmen flew Roche from Miami to the U.K. to discuss an investment. When he woke up the next morning, Roche said, he felt groggy... The brain fog was odd because he didn't think he'd had all that much to drink. As he flew back to Miami a few days later, Roche couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
Months passed. Then, one day last summer, Roche's world detonated. A website called Crypto Leaks posted two dozen videos of him that had been secretly recorded during his meetings with Villavicencio and Ager-Hanssen. The videos portrayed Roche and his law firm, Roche Freedman, as being in the pocket of one of their crypto clients [Ava Labs]... In other clips, Roche made it sound like his sole concern, even when representing other clients, was to promote Ava Labs' interests...
One after another, companies that Roche Freedman had sued filed motions to disqualify the firm from their cases. In October, the first of those motions succeeded: A federal judge in New York tossed Roche Freedman from a case it had filed against Tether, the operator of the world's most used "stablecoin." Within days, Roche was forced to resign from the law firm he had founded. With his career in tatters, he said, he enrolled in ethics classes and began to see a therapist.
Roche calls the recorded remarks baseless bluster to impress a prospective investor (and alleges in court there are signs of deep fake alterations). While Roche "was felled by his own loose lips and his overly cozy relationship with a client," the Times reports "he also was the victim of an elaborate international setup." On April 3, 2020, Roche Freedman filed lawsuits seeking class-action status against seven issuers of digital coins, alleging they had pumped what amounted to unregistered securities with false statements and then dumped them, leaving retail investors holding the bag... Those suits were just an opening salvo: Sixteen months later, Roche filed his biggest securities fraud case yet. It alleged that a British entrepreneur, Dominic Williams, and entities he controlled had swindled investors out of billions of dollars by aggressively promoting, and then dumping, a digital coin tied to a grandiose plan to revolutionize computing. Williams had boldly proclaimed that his Internet Computer blockchain — a decentralized network of computers powered by a digital token called ICP — would supplant the big cloud services offered by Amazon and Microsoft and become humanity's primary computing platform. But after an initial surge that briefly made it one of the most valuable cryptocurrencies, ICP had plummeted 92% — a collapse that Roche's lawsuit attributed to "massive" selling by Williams and other insiders. (Williams denied the allegations.)
The Times reports that Roche's prospective investor Ager-Hanssen, "in addition to running his venture capital firm, has long had a sideline digging up dirt on behalf of wealthy clients entangled in business disputes in Britain and Scandinavia. On multiple occasions, he has secretly recorded his targets. For example, in a 2014 interview, he recounted how he had snared the adversary of a Swedish financier with a hidden microphone and boasted that he employed former intelligence officers from the CIA, MI6 and Mossad..." Roche believes them because he thinks he knows who hired Ager-Hanssen: Williams, the British entrepreneur who was the target of Roche Freedman's biggest pump-and-dump lawsuit... On May 12, 2022, Williams wrote on Twitter that he was "coming for" his critics. That was the same day the cryptoleaks.info domain name was registered. That was the same day the cryptoleaks.info domain name was registered. Then, on June 9, 2022, the Crypto Leaks website went live. Billing itself as the defender of "the honest crypto community," it posted two reports that aligned with Williams' interests...
The first espoused a complicated theory about the ICP token crash that Williams had previously floated on Twitter. The second attacked the Times for an article it had published about the crash. Williams tweeted a link to that Crypto Leaks report, calling it "Gobsmacking." The Dfinity Foundation, a Swiss nonprofit that Williams created to oversee his blockchain, has since sued the Times for defamation in New York. The Times is seeking to dismiss the suit. The videos of Roche were the crux of Crypto Leaks' third exposé. After they were published, Williams and Dfinity filed a motion to disqualify Roche Freedman as plaintiffs' counsel in the pump-and-dump lawsuit, saying Roche's comments demonstrated "a disregard for the integrity of the judicial system...."
Last month, the judge overseeing the pump-and-dump case granted Williams' motion and disqualified Freedman Normand Friedland as plaintiffs' counsel.
ICPcoin?? (Score:3)
"The first espoused a complicated theory about the ICP token crash that Williams had previously floated on Twitter."
Theres an Insane Clown Posse crypto?
I wish I'd got in on the ground floor of that particular Riddlebox. But now its just Dead bodies, dead bodies piled up in mounds!
Re: (Score:2)
"The first espoused a complicated theory about the ICP token crash that Williams had previously floated on Twitter."
Theres an Insane Clown Posse crypto?
No, Intracranial Pressure -- no wonder it crashed.
Re: ICPcoin?? (Score:2)
A qualification for working in daycare: Intentionally Childish Practices.
Suffering from urinary retention? I Can't Pee.
Re: (Score:1)
Ethics classes eh? (Score:2)
he enrolled in ethics classes
What the fuck are ethics classes? Either you're an ethical person or you're not.
It's not learned: kids develop ethics when they're about to do something wicked and they weigh in the consequences of what they're about to do with the set of moral value their parents, school and society have passed on to them.
If kids cross the line and do something unethical, punishment will realign their ethical values. And if that fails, then perhaps it can be laid out more explicitely. But for most people, ethics are the na
Re:Ethics classes eh? (Score:5, Informative)
Ethics education does not serve to make you ethical. They serve to allow you to better understand what your choices and their implications in a specific situation are. It is essentially situation analysis and reaction possibility discovery for ethical questions.
This is different from religious education, that always ultimately serve to indoctrinate you and push a specific set of "moral" values.
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They serve to allow you to better understand what your choices and their implications in a specific situation are
That's exactly my point: this does not need explaining to an adult with a reasonably social education and a capacity for empathy.
If you need to go to ethics school, either your entire education was antisocial to the point of dysfunction (unlikely for a lawyer) or you have psychopathic traits (likely for a lawyer).
Re: (Score:2)
Um, yes, they do.
You're oversimplifying things, which means you were not exposed to such complex ethical situations, and that's fine, not many people are. But for those who do have to navigate those murky waters, ethics classes are a must.
Ethics-related situations, especially in international business are much more complex than "don't be an asshole".
In certain countries, it's expected to provide a symbolic bribe when closing a deal, just as a random example.
Advertising is another big area where there's a ve
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Ethics-related situations, especially in international business are much more complex than "don't be an asshole". ... In certain countries, it's expected to provide a symbolic bribe when closing a deal, just as a random example.
Nope, that's still pretty simple from an ethical point of view: bribes are unethical. Sure, you can argue that it's the norm, and you can argue that you have to offer a bribe to succeed in business in certain countries. But it's still unethical.
Any more examples of "complex" ethics in real-life situations that you can provide? I'm sure the non-psychopaths among us can help you out... ;)
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That said, pretty much everybody talked about in the article are money grubbing douche bags who deserve what happens to them.
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I would certainly agree that I have a "narrow" ethical view. In fact, that is down to the very definition of ethics - I believe in a certain selection of moral values and abiding them is ethical, going against them is unethical. Sure, someone in another country may have a different ethical viewpoint, but that doesn't change my own view on the subject. An example given is that some countries believe it to be unethical for a woman not to be covered head to toe. Bully for them, but in MY view, it's still 100%
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In advertising, the line between ethica
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Ok, but what constitutes a bribe.
Exactly. Hence, ethics classes.
On a wider note, there are business-related classes that teach you how to shake hands considering various habits around the world, which excuses are OK and not OK if you are late to a meeting, and so on.
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I agree, kinda.
Which is the greater duty? You have an obligation to your employer and the stockholders to perform your job - closing that deal, or is it a greater duty to follow your culture's rules while ignoring the other culture's practices?
What you call a bribe maybe considered a tip to supplement the income of a poorly paid public servant, much like restaurant workers in the USA. It has been argued that our tipping the wait staff propagates the practice of underpaying the staff. Is that ethical behavio
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Very good points. I assume they would be covered in ethics classes, as well.
Fact is, the world we live in, once we expand beyond our immediate culture, is a lot more complex and with a much higher gray area than we'd expect.
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You might be surprised to find out there are other countries out there, with wildly different habits and beliefs.
Covering your wife in veils from head to toe might be considered unethical where you live, while not doing so in other countries would be considered a grave ethical breach.
Your point of view isn't simple, it's simplistic.
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Any more examples of "complex" ethics in real-life situations that you can provide? I'm sure the non-psychopaths among us can help you out... ;)
The medical and medical research fields are particularly filled with ethical complexities. Indeed most hospitals have ethics committees specifically to provide input to practitioners on these questions.
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Pretty much everyone with a position in government has to take some kind of ethics training.
You would rather they didn't have to?
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Nope. You overlook that implications are often not obvious and so are some possible actions in some situations.
Re: Ethics classes eh? (Score:2)
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It's not learned:
kids develop ethics ... the set of moral value their parents, school and society have passed on to them.
So it IS learned.
Re: (Score:2)
Well okay, to an extent. But learning - or being given - a set of moral values isn't enough. It must be internalized, and that only happens when the individual combines that set of moral values and their own capacity to project themselves as the recipient of what they're about to do to determine right and wrong for themselves.
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What the fuck are ethics classes? Either you're an ethical person or you're not.
Define ethical. And try and do so without injecting any of your social context which you learnt from society around you.
Ethics isn't a magical trait people are born with.
It's not learned: kids develop ethics when they're about to do something wicked and they weigh in the consequences of what they're about to do with the set of moral value their parents, school and society have passed on to them.
You just said ethics isn't learned, and then described a cause and effect analysis style learning process.
You should sit down and think about what you just said, you may learn something.
Re:Ethics classes eh? (Score:5, Informative)
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Ethics are moral rules or rather rules to help govern moral behavior at scale. Actually they are very much legislating morality.... Which I am fine with and get critized for supporting regularly.
There are lots a 'legalistic' lines to help define the difference between between a bribes, tips, gifts, business dinners, etc. Ultimately where it matters is who is potentially harmed, cheated, unfairly rewarded etc.
We make rules because sometimes we can't always see the big the picture as individuals. We make rule
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well, we're talking about a lawyer here... these people have ho values, nor ethics, it's part of the job description
Re: Ethics classes eh? (Score:3)
Ethics are not the same as morals, and tend to get pretty job specific.
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Ethics are learned values. What is ethical is arbitrary and usually determined by a group of people (an ethics board).
Being ethical is not an innate quality of a person.
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A lot of ethics class is just teaching people how to consider the effect they are having on other people. It's very easy to think something is ethical if you simply don't think about the ways in which it harms other people.
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Both "ethics classes" and "speed awareness courses", and your company's "visit to the break room"* are a second chance. You get there because you did something wrong. It's a slap on the wrist, and a message that says "do this again, and we'll throw the book at you".
You can argue that the second, more punitive step is or is not effective enough, but the first step is to give you a chance to turn away from your errant ways. Some people "lose their way" somewhat, and this gives them a chance to find it again w
Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)
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I can't see how deciding to operate on the daughter would be unethical. If all else was equal, then maybe... but under any ethical code, the surgeon should operate on the person who would benefit more, and in this case that's the daughter. If an ethical code bars a surgeon from operating on a family member *under all circumstances including when he has to choose between a 90-year old war criminal and his daughter and no-one else is available* then it's a badly-written ethical code. A well-written code would
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Oh no, any way (Score:3)
Now these are the kind of zero sum games you love to see.
summary? (Score:2)
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You can still look up the video on Youtube (I did).
TL/DR: I see no signs of deepfaking, but man, is that video ever chopped up, worse than a Veritas video even. Some sections only last for mere seconds between cuts.
IMHO, any video that's clearly put out as an attack, but is extremely heavily edited, should be immediately disqualified as evidence unless the full video with context is released.
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I am stealing that signature.
Old story (Score:3, Funny)
Lawyer fucks with mafia
Mafia fucks lawyer
News at 11
Re:Old story (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
I'm not sure why anyone would believe his story at all. He gets outed having a big mouth, and invents a story of conspiracy and persecution to try to save face. That's a far more rational telling of this story.
Have you ever actually looked into Mother Theresa? (Score:3)
These are all well documented facts. If you ever need something to shock you out of blind belief in what other's tell you that'll do it.
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Next up on Lifetime... (Score:2)
Why is it that so many movies on Lifetime are "ripped from the headlines"? In this case, it's a headline that was "ripped from a Lifetime movie script".
Oh no! If only you had... (Score:2)
...$100 million to console yourself with.
tl;dr (Score:2)
TL;DR. Summary: some guy did something drugged crypto.