YouTube Star MrBeast Faces Crypto Scandal Allegations

YouTube star James Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons this year. Once celebrated for his viral charity videos, he's now grappling with mounting allegations. The latest involves his alleged connections to over 50 crypto wallets linked to potential insider trading practices.

The string of controversies started when Ava Kris Tyson, a close associate, was accused of misconduct with a minor. Shortly after, a former employee came forward with claims that MrBeast had run a potentially illegal lottery aimed at children. But these issues now seem minor in comparison to recent revelations of a possible crypto scheme.

In an investigation led by the online detective SomaXBT, it’s alleged that MrBeast used a straightforward "pump and dump" strategy in the crypto market. Reports indicate that he profited by investing in low-cap IDO (initial DEX offering) tokens, which he later promoted, only to offload his assets shortly after. This pattern allegedly allowed him to secure substantial gains while followers who bought in saw token prices dive as selling pressure increased.

The first round of findings was posted on X (formerly Twitter) by SomaXBT, suggesting Donaldson made around $10 million from these investments. Now, a new and expanded report, backed by blockchain analysis on loock.io, claims his profits from crypto schemes could surpass $23 million since 2021.

This extended analysis was conducted by a team including Kasper Vandeloock, hxnterson, angelfacepeanut, and rfparson, alongside SomaXBT. The report highlights evidence of Donaldson’s activities, which they link to more than 50 wallets associated with his primary crypto address. This primary wallet, known publicly as 0x9e67D018488aD636B538e4158E9e7577F2ECac12, was first disclosed by Donaldson himself in 2021 after a significant Ethereum transaction. The team found that dozens of wallets were linked to this address, suggesting coordinated movement of funds.

Among the findings, MrBeast’s involvement with a token called SuperVerse (SUPER), formerly SuperFarm, drew particular attention. SuperVerse had been hyped as a gaming-related NFT marketplace but encountered numerous development delays. Still, when the token launched, it saw a remarkable 50x price surge, driven partly by MrBeast’s public endorsement on social media. Early public investors in the token, however, allegedly faced surprise refunds through legal loopholes, casting doubt on the project’s legitimacy.

One particular leaked conversation between MrBeast and another crypto influencer, EllioTrades, appears to reference a $100,000 deal, which some believe relates to promotional efforts for SUPER. On February 22, 2021, Donaldson’s main wallet received a million SUPER tokens. Just over a month later, these were transferred to another wallet and then sold off, earning him approximately $7.5 million. Following this, Donaldson’s wallet received multiple token releases over the next three months, all of which were quickly sold, netting him a total profit of $11.4 million from SUPER alone.

The loock.io report alleges that MrBeast also secured sizable gains from other tokens, including Eternity Chain (ERN), PolyChain Monsters (PMON), and SHOPX, with earnings of $4.6 million, $1.7 million, and $484,000, respectively. There are even claims of coordinated pump-and-dump activities with other influencers, which added to his returns.

While Donaldson has yet to address these allegations publicly, the evidence presented in this detailed on-chain analysis is concerning. The extensive wallet connections and transaction patterns paint a picture of a well-organized strategy designed to maximize profit at the expense of ordinary investors. The report encourages readers to examine the data and form their own conclusions, as the findings indicate that MrBeast’s crypto ventures may have been far more profitable—and ethically questionable—than anyone previously knew.