Crypto Critics' Corner

Cas Piancey and  @bennettftomlin discuss the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Brock Pierce.This episode was recorded on February 3rd, 2026.Additional resources:Protos article ⁨@coffeezillaextras⁩ video

Cas Piancey and ‪@bennettftomlin‬ discuss the onslaught of prediction markets.This episode was recorded on January 28th, 2026.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Molly White to discuss the $TRUMP memecoin wallet and its place in the Trump crypto corruption scheme.This episode was recorded on June 10th, 2025.Additional episodes mentioned in this episode:Episode 54 – Web3 is Wonky (Feat. Molly White)Episode 84 – Cryptocurrency Criticism in a Down Market (feat. Molly White)Episode 140 – Sam Bankman-Fried’s Trial is Going Great (feat. Molly White)Episode 145 – Read, Write, Own: Web3’s Broken Promises (feat. Molly White)Episode 175 – The Mythical Crypto Swing Voter (feat. Nitish Pahwa)

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Nitish Pahwa of Slate to discuss whether or not there are actually cryptocurrency swing voters and what they mean for crypto politics and AmericaThis video was recorded on June 3rd, 2025.Additional episodes mentioned in this episode:Episode 171 – Is $TRUMP corrupt?Episode 126 – They May Be All-In, But We’re OutEpisode 166 – End the FedEpisode 167 – What happened to the SEC? (feat. Corey Frayer)Additional resources:Federal Reserve report

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey‬ discuss the accelerated assault on the Federal Reserve by the Trump administration. This episode was streamed live on January 12th, 2026.

Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin‬ are joined by Peter Ryan of Ryan Research to discuss the vile truth at the heart of Bitcoin. This video was streamed live on August 23rd, 2025.

Cas and Bennett discuss whether or not SpaceX's Starbase is a good idea.Additional resources: Innovated Blockchain City"Potentially corrupt"Additional episodes mentioned in this episode:Episode 131 – Elon Musk’s ESG Con (feat. Eric Roesch the ESGHound)Episode 168 – When did you realize Elon Musk was a fraud?Episode 55 – Company Towns – Past, Present, and Future (feat. Dr. Ángela Vergara)Episode 171 – Is $TRUMP corrupt?This episode was recorded on May 12th, 2025.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss whether or not $TRUMP, the Donald Trump memecoin, constitutes corruption.Additional episodes mentioned:Episode 157 – Donald Trump, Justin Sun, and the grifts we missedEpisode 152 – Justin Sun is probably insolventEpisode 167 – What happened to the SEC? (feat. Corey Frayer)Episode 165 – Elon Musk’s Valentine’s Day MassacreAdditional resources: New York Times coverage"Potentially corrupt"Coverage of HTX being the entity that signed for Justin Sun

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Rohan Grey to discuss his proposal to create a new digital fiscal regime. Rohan's paper can be viewed here. This episode was recorded on March 17th, 2025.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the unlawful actions of the Trump administration, including unlawful deportations. Additional episodes mentioned in this episode:Episode 21 – BitcoinPlaylist of videos about El SalvadorAdditional resources: Reporting on the illegal deportationsThis episode was recorded on March 16th, 2025.

Bennett and Cas discuss when they had their personal realization that Elon Musk was a deceiver.Additional episodes mentioned in this episode: Episode 131 – Elon Musk’s ESG Con (feat. Eric Roesch the ESGHound)Additional resources: Bennett's video about robotaxisQuinn69TV video about Elon liesBonhoeffer's Theory of StupidityThis episode was recorded on February 14th, 2025.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Corey Frayer to discuss Gary Gensler's SEC and the limits of regulation.Additional ResourcesChange in SEC rulesThis episode was recorded on February 8th, 2025.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss their fear that Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and DOGE will destroy the dollar by going after Federal Reserve independence.Additional resources: Coverage of Elon Musk imagining problems at Fort KnoxFederal Reserve AuditsAdditional episodes mentioned in this episode: Episode 163 – What the Elon Musk coup means for FinanceEpisode 164 – CFPB RIP 🪦Episode 165 – Elon Musk’s Valentine’s Day MassacreEpisode 55 – Company Towns – Past, Present, and Future (feat. Dr. Ángela Vergara)This episode was recorded on February 19th, 2025.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the gutting of the Southern District of New York by an illegal and unconstitutional order to drop charges against Eric Adams so he can better cooperate with the Trump Administration.Read more hereAdditional resources: Initial MemoDanielle Sassoon's ResponseEmil Bove's response to Danielle Sassoon's resignationHagen Scotten resignationReporting on additional resignationsAdditional episodes mentioned in this episode: Episode 163 – What the Elon Musk coup means for FinanceEpisode 164 – CFPB RIP 🪦Playlist of videos about Sam Bankman-Fried trialThis episode was recorded on February 14th, 2025.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the deteriorating situation in the United States, including the gutting of the CFPB and the attack on the full faith and credit of the United States.Read more here.Previous episodes mentioned in this episode:Episode 160 – CBDCs are Dead; Long Live $TRUMPEpisode 163 – What the Elon Musk coup means for FinanceAdditional Resources:Bloomberg Reporting on the DOGE takeover of CFPBBloomberg reporting on Pam Bondi memoReporting on threat of US defaultThis episode was recorded on February 10th, 2025.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the deteriorating situation in the United States, including the press conference by David Sacks, the destruction of the SEC, the future of crypto legislation, and the ongoing takeover of the federal government by freaks. Additional resources: Wired reporting on the names Reuters reporting on the SEC: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/secs-republican-led-commission-tightens-oversight-probes-sources-say-2025-02-02/ Additional episodes mentioned in this episode: Episode 161 – Is there one good regulator between the SEC and the CFTC? (feat. Sean Tuffy) Episode 162 – Humiliate your local billionaire (feat. Ed Zitron)

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined again by Ed Zitron to discuss how the media and users can fight back against tech deterioration. Additional resources: Better Offline Where's your Ed at? Ed's Bluesky The article by Ed discussed during the episode This episode was recorded on January 3rd, 2025.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Sean Tuffy to discuss the theoretical basis of merging the SEC and the CFTC. Sean's BlueskyAdditional episodes mentioned in this episode: Episode 39 – Fuck the SEC, all my friends hate the SECEpisode 157 – Donald Trump, Justin Sun, and the grifts we missedEpisode 158 – How Tether avoids prosecution with this one simple hackEpisode 159 – What Donald Trump’s election means for Bitcoin (feat. Joseph Politano)This episode was recorded on December 2nd, 2024.

Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin discuss the executive order signed by Donald Trump. You can read the executive order yourself here. This episode was livestreamed on January 24th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas  are joined by Joseph Politano to discuss what Donald Trump's election will mean for cryptocurrency. This video was recorded on November 26th, 2024. Read more: https://cryptocriticscorner.com/2025/01/06/episode-159-what-trump-means-for-bitcoin/ Where to find Joseph: Apricitas BlueSky Twitter Additional resources: Pence opposes RFK Jr. Bennett's newsletter about Justin Sun buying tokens Joey's post from November 2022

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss Tether's ability to survive and grow, as well as how they have found safety in Donald Trump's future administration. Read more here. Additional resources: Bloomberg reporting on Bank Fraud Wall Street Journal reporting on Tether sanctions violation This video was recorded on November 23rd, 2024.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss Donald Trump's new project, World Liberty Financial, as well as Justin Sun's shenanigans, the MakerDAO rebrand, and more. This video was recorded on October 26th, 2024.

Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin are joined by Andrew Bailey, author of Resistance Money, to discuss Tether on Tron and Bitcoin. This video was recorded on September 9th 2024. Resistance Money Patrick McKenzie and Tyler Cowen podcast Cas Piancey and PJ Vogt podcast Bennett's newsletter about Craig Wright Bennett's article about Fei Bennett's newsletter about Terra-Luna

Bennett and Cas discuss the tools they use to investigate various frauds and scams. Coverage from Protos of an entity fraudulently pretending to be associated with Tether can be found here. Here's a list of tools used in this episode: OpenCorporates Companies House EDGAR FinCEN Crunchbase RECAP PACER The New York Times Wayback Machine BuiltWith Etherscan BreadCrumbs Some other episodes of CCC mentioned can be found here: Episode 56 – This Man Murders Scams (Feat. ZachXBT) Episode 100 – A Skeptic’s Guide to Skepticism Episode 127 - Let's Talk About Number Go Up (Feat. Zeke Faux) Playlist of videos about Bitfinex and Tether This episode was recorded on July 11th and 16th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Travis Kimmel to discuss the purpose and role of venture capital. This video was recorded on May 9th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss DJT, which is not Donald Trump's official token, and it seems likely Barron will not even claim this mess that Martin Shkreli embroiled them all in. Protos Reporting on DJT Cas' Op-Ed on Pirate Wires Daniel Kuhn's Article for The Block This video was recorded on June 22nd, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss Justin Sun's empire, and the fact that he does not seem to have enough money. Additional resources: Protos coverage of Poloniex and WBTC Protos coverage of USDD reserves at HTX Protos coverage of TrueUSD market-cap collapse Protos coverage of false Diplomatic Immunity Protos reporting on stUSDT This episode was recorded on May 1st, 2024.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Vincent Woo to discuss Effective Altruism and Effective Accelerationism. ⁠Vincent Woo 's video about Honest Charlie⁠ ⁠Vincent's reporting on Lambda School⁠ ⁠Vincent's Twitter⁠ This episode was recorded on May 1st, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss the sentencing of Changpeng Zhao and what it means for the cryptocurrency industry, along with comparing it to the outcome for cryptocurrency exchange fraud Sam Bankman-Fried. This video was recorded on May 6th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss the ongoing struggles of regional banking in the United States, and why these issues with the system persist. This video was recorded on March 6th, 2024.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Ed Zitron to discuss how Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss portray themselves as the regulated alternative, but frequently flout the rules. Additional resources: Ed's newsletter about Gemini Earn Better Offline HTX is probably insolvent This episode was recorded on March 12th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss a class action lawsuit against Deltec Bank and Trust in the Bahamas that alleges that it was instrumental in moving customer funds from FTX to Alameda Research. Coverage of the lawsuit the lawsuit Farmington State response Coindesk coverage of Alameda Research insolvency Affidavit in support of MUFG seizure This episode was recorded on March 6th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas discuss the indictment of Changpeng Zhao and the Deferred Prosecution Agreement for Binance. Read coverage of charges here. This episode was recorded on February 10th, 2024.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Molly White to discuss Andreessen Horowitz GP Chris Dixon's new book: Read, Write, Own. Read Molly's review of Dixon's book here and check out her archival cryptocurrency news site here. Read Protos' article about how a16z gamed the NYT Bestseller List here. Read Motherboard's article about how many copies of Read, Write, Own were bulk purchased here. This episode was recorded on February 10th, 2024.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the history and present of Tether, the most important firm in all of cryptocurrency. This video was recorded on February 4th, 2024.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Patrick McKenzie of Bits About Money to discuss why cryptocurrency is not a solution for the problems of payments. Bits About Money Patrick McKenzie Twitter Protos coverage of Moonstone Cease and Desist Federal Reserve Cease and Desist for Moonstone Bennett's video about Cash App/Interchange Fees/Durbin Amendment This video was recorded on October 12th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Elizabeth Lopatto of the Verge to discuss Sam Bankman-Fried's conviction. Sam Bankman-Fried gambled on a trial and his parents lost Elizabeth Lopatto's Coverage at The Verge Cas' review of Going Infinite Protos coverage of the trial This video was recorded on November 6th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas discuss Wyre, another cryptocurrency payments processor involved with fraud. Protos coverage of Ryan Breslow's many disasters Protos coverage of Wyre problems This episode was recorded on October 20th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Molly White (@molly0xfff) to discuss the ongoing testimony of Sam Bankman-Fried. Molly's newsletter Web3 is Going Great Protos Coverage of the Trial This video was recorded on November 1st, 2023.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Sam Kessler from CoinDesk to discuss the witnesses that the defense has been calling to the stand, including Sam Bankman-Fried. CoinDesk trial coverage: https://www.coindesk.com/sam-bankman-fried-trial-live-coverage-news/ Protos trial coverage: https://protos.com/sbftrial/ SBF's Kamikaze Defense: https://protos.com/sam-bankman-frieds-kamikaze-defense/ The Jury Finally Hears from SBF by Liz Lopatto: https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/27/23935683/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-fraud-direct-testimony-jury This episode was recorded on October 28th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas are joined by Katie Baker, a journalist at The Ringer, to discuss her time spent at the trial, how social media and sh*tposting are playing a role, and her most recent article, which encapsulates the story unfolding better than anything written thus far. Read Katie's article here: https://www.theringer.com/tech/2023/10/16/23919236/sam-bankman-fried-sbf-trial-caroline-ellison-testimony-ftx-cryptocurrency

Bennett and Cas are joined by Danny Nelson of CoinDesk to discuss the ongoing trial of Sam Bankman-Fried and the testimony of Nishad Singh and Can Sun. CoinDesk coverage of the trial https://www.coindesk.com/sam-bankman-fried-trial-live-coverage-news/ Danny Nelson's newsletter about accounting Santa Clause https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/10/19/judge-kaplans-ire-hits-all-lawyers-in-the-sam-bankman-fried-case/ Danny article about Nishad Singh cross https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/10/19/judge-kaplans-ire-hits-all-lawyers-in-the-sam-bankman-fried-case/ Protos coverage of the trial https://protos.com/sbftrial/ Sam Bankman-Fried on Good Morning America https://youtu.be/0Hxf4Vf54PI Sam Bankman-Fried's defense finally wakes up https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/17/23921745/sam-bankman-fried-nishad-singh-house-loan This video was recorded on October 19th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas discuss Farmington State Bank/Moonstone Bank, the Washington State bank that Alameda Research invested in - valuing at an unbelievable $150 million. Additional resources: Initial Protos coverage of Moonstone https://protos.com/the-curious-case-of-ftx-and-farmington-state-bank-aka-moonstone/ Moonstone Bank executives explain relationship with Alameda Research https://protos.com/exclusive-moonstone-bank-explains-ties-with-alameda-research/ Federal Reserve explains Moonstone Bank decision https://protos.com/exclusive-the-fed-responds-to-the-moonstone-bank-mystery/ Protos coverage of Federal Reserve cease and desist https://protos.com/alameda-funded-bank-farmington-state-gets-cease-and-desist-from-fed/ Federal Reserve cease and desist https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/files/enf20230817a1.pdf Litecoin acquires stake in bank https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2018/07/11/litecoin-foundation-acquires-99-of-bank-in-payments-partnership/

Bennett and Cas are joined by Nikhilesh De of CoinDesk to discuss the ongoing trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, and specifically the testimony of Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison. Additional resources: CoinDesk coverage of the trial https://www.coindesk.com/tag/sbf-trial/ Nik's newsletter about the trial https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/10/13/things-sbfs-defense-lawyers-should-be-freaking-out-about/ Bennett's newsletter about the trial https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=16a900a42513fb7998acad86d&id=4f3209dbfb Protos coverage of the trial https://protos.com/sbftrial/ Business Insider Alameda Research All Hands call https://www.businessinsider.com/alameda-all-hands-meeting-caroline-ellison-shut-down-audio-2023-10 Liz Lopatto Article: 'Sam Bankman-Fried is a Terrible Boyfriend' https://www.businessinsider.com/alameda-all-hands-meeting-caroline-ellison-shut-down-audio-2023-10 Sketch of Caroline from Nik https://twitter.com/nikhileshde/status/1711886306131812441 This video was recorded on October 15th, 2023.

Bennett and Cas discuss the evolving banking situation in the cryptocurrency industry, and how hard it is for companies to maintain banking relationships. Read more: https://cryptocriticscorner.com/2023/10/13/episode-134-can-crypto-companies-get-bank-accounts/ Additional resources: CoinDesk article about Bitstamp https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/10/09/bitstamp-courts-european-banks-as-regions-incoming-crypto-rules-boost-confidence/ Protos article about Prager Metis https://protos.com/accounting-apocalypse-ftx-auditor-prager-metis-sued-by-the-sec/ Protos coverage of Moonstone https://protos.com/tag/moonstone/ This episode was recorded on October 9th, 2023.

Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by David Z. Morris to discuss the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, and the testimony against him so far. This includes longtime friend Adam Yedidia, FTX leader Gary Wang, and investor Matt Huang. Additional resources: Protos coverage of the trial https://protos.com/sbftrial/ Bennett newsletter about opening statements http://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=16a900a42513fb7998acad86d&id=4f3209dbfb Semafor reporting on loans https://www.semafor.com/article/12/07/2022/charity-money-launched-sam-bankman-frieds-empire Tara Mac Aulay tweet about leaving https://twitter.com/Tara_MacAulay/status/1592985303262072834?cxt=HHwWhMDU1a_stZssAAAA WSJ reporting on XRP bet https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/alameda-sam-bankman-fried-ftx-crypto-crash-11672434101 Reporting on MobileCoin losses https://protos.com/mobilecoin-the-project-that-doomed-ftx-a-year-before-terra-luna/ WSJ reporting on Cohen & Everdell https://www.wsj.com/articles/sam-bankman-frieds-defense-team-led-by-battle-tested-lawyers-11673217199 Where to find David: Flesh/Markets https://davidzmorris.substack.com/ Protos https://protos.com/author/dmorris/ Unchained https://unchainedcrypto.com/author/davidz/ Twitter https://twitter.com/davidzmorris This video was recorded on October 8th, 2023.

Today Bennett and Cas discuss the SEC's settlement with the creators of an NFT called Stoner Cats and whether or not it means any NFTs offering royalties to creators could be considered securities.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Eric Roesch to discuss Elon Musk, ESG (environmental, social, governance), and the Golden Age of Fraud. Roesch, an environmental policy expert, tells us about the history of ESG, why it doesn't effectively combat the issues it claims to, and how Elon Musk - the wealthiest man in the world - has used ESG, government subsidies, and asking for forgiveness instead of permission to hoodwink the American public. This episode was recorded September 20th, 2023.

Today Bennett and Cas talk about Sam Bankman-Fried's parents, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, who are alleged to be holding onto property and money that the FTX and Alameda Research estates are looking to claw back. Read more about it here. This episode was recorded on September 20th, 2023.

Today Bennett and Cas are joined by Leo Schwartz from Fortune to discuss his feature article about Circle, USDC, and why the stablecoin can't seem to overtake Tether in marketcap or volume. Read the article here.