AssangeDAO’s crypto activities are suspicious, analysts urge caution.
SlowMist analysts raised concerns of “soft carpet dragging” on March 10 when a 100 Ether (ETH) transaction from an Assangedao address went to a recipient that appeared to be affiliated with a decentralized autonomous organization.
Blockchain forensics firm Assangedao's true intentions are unclear, but stresses that investors should proceed with caution and exercise general caution before engaging with the organization.
In the year Assange, who took office in 2022, became famous for his stand for the release of Julian Assange, the Australian activist who created WikiLeaks.
In the year Following the UK High Court's decision to extradite Assange in 2021, supporters formed AssangeDAO to secure his freedom.
The initiative has amassed more than $53 million in cryptocurrency donations, notably including a donation from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.
AssangeDAO will use the funds to partner with Assange to bid for a one-to-one non-vulnerable token (NFT) from a drop called “Censorship” by digital artist Pak.
Proceeds from the sale were supposed to go to Assange's defense fund and additional awareness campaigns as he fights extradition to the US this month.
Assange's DAO figure of $53.7 million is the largest ever raised from a DAO using the community funding hosting platform Juicebox, edging out the widely popular ConstitutionDAO, which raised $49 million from the community by the end of 2021 for the first edition of the print copy of the United States Constitution.
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However, a collaborative analysis by SlowMist and RescueETH revealed that since 2022, AssangeDAO has moved funds to multiple addresses, including many associated with crypto exchanges such as Kraken and Coinbase.
In addition, the group transferred more than 1,000 Ether to various anonymous smart contracts, distributing the money in several addresses. AssangeDAO has not issued any official statement regarding the matter at the time of publication.
SlowMist analysts emphasized the importance of transparency in the operations of the DAO, pointing out that the recent high volume of transactions raised many questions, especially where the money ended up.
On November 8, AssangeDAO announced that 16 members of Congress have signed a letter asking Attorney General Merrick Garland to drop the dangerous and unprecedented accusations against Julian Assange.
However, Assange was granted leave to appeal his extradition to the US in a UK court on Tuesday.
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