How the DOJ and SEC Cases Against BitClout's Nader Al-Naji Collapsed

Debanked 12 times. Walked through an airport in handcuffs. Every charge eventually gone. Nader Al-Naji on the defense strategy that convinced both agencies to back off. ======================================================== Nexo is the premier digital wealth platform. Receive interest on your crypto, borrow against it without selling, and trade a range of assets. Now available in the U.S with 30 days of exclusive privileges. Get started at http://nexo.com/unchained ======================================================== In July 2024, Nader Al-Naji was preparing to board a flight to Turkey when the FBI arrested him in front of with his wife and son and walked him in handcuffs through the airport. The DOJ and SEC had jointly charged the DESO and BitClout founder with defrauding investors of $3 million and running an unregistered securities offering. Twenty months later, both cases are gone: the DOJ dismissed in March 2025, the SEC dismissed with prejudice — meaning it can’t be refiled — in March 2026. Nader tells Laura what actually happened, from the FBI raid on his Beverly Hills home and the clerical error that sent him to federal prison for a weekend, to the legal strategy that convinced both agencies to back off. He also revisits the BitClout celebrity era, the long call with Do Kwon before Terra launched, and the debanking tactic he calls ‘subpoena sniping.’ Host: ⁠⁠⁠Laura Shin⁠⁠⁠, Host / Unchained Guests: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nader Al-Naji (@nadertheory), Founder of DESO and BitClout Timestamps 🚀 0:00 Introduction 🌱 2:21 Starting Basis and returning $140M from Druckenmiller and Andreessen 💬 9:58 What Nader told Do Kwon before Terra launched 🎬 13:38 How BitClout got Elon, Thiel, and Kim Kardashian claiming coins ✈️ 21:24 The FBI raid, the Turkey trip, and the airport arrest ⚖️ 36:23 Why Nader hired the firm that won’t hire ex-prosecutors 🏦 52:42 How ‘subpoena sniping’ cuts off defendants’ legal funding 🪄 1:11:11 The SEC’s out-of-context quote and what DESO is now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices