Ex-Jump Trading Employee Accuses SEC in Terraform Labs Case Appeal

Former Jump Trading employee James Hunsaker has made revelations in the ongoing Terraform Labs case, filing a complaint with the SEC regarding Do Kwon's efforts to support the UST stablecoin before its collapse in 2022. Hunsaker alleges that Jump Trading, a high-frequency trading firm, made a "substantial agreement" with Terraform Labs to promote UST adoption, with Jump Crypto president Kanav Kariya facilitating the arrangement.

Terraform Labs Case: Former Jump Trading Employee Alleges SEC Appeal

In the ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) case against Terraform Labs (TFL) and its co-founder Do Kwon, a former employee of Jump Trading has provided significant testimony that sheds light on the company's involvement in the controversial algorithmic stablecoin UST.

James Hunsaker, who previously worked at Jump Crypto, a subsidiary of Jump Trading, has filed an appeal to the SEC regarding Do Kwon's role in propping up UST prior to its catastrophic collapse in 2022. The appeal alleges that Jump Trading entered into a substantial agreement with TFL to drive UST adoption, committing hundreds of millions of dollars to saving the LUNA token a year before the actual collapse.

According to Hunsaker's statement, Jump Crypto President Kanav Kariya assured him that Kwon would provide tokens that would be unlocked later when UST moved away from its dollar peg in May 2021. Subsequently, Bill DiSoma, co-founder of Jump Trading, instructed investors to execute "aggressive trades" and accumulate USTs.

Hunsaker described DiSoma as the real authority on Jump Crypto and testified that, due to Terra's importance to Jump, DiSoma was willing to risk several hundred million dollars. Neither Kariya nor DiSoma responded to filings with the SEC regarding the Terraform Labs case.

The SEC alleges that Jump made approximately $1 billion in profits from its dealings with TFL. A key aspect of the SEC's fraud case against TFL and Kwon is the claim that they concealed Jump's intervention in stabilizing UST during the May 2021 asset crisis, which preceded the actual collapse in 2022. Kwon claimed that UST was "automatically self-healing," a belief held by investors.

Interestingly, Hunsaker himself invested $200,000 in UST to earn a return of approximately 20% from the Anchor protocol. Despite his doubts about UST's stability, he believed he could exit quickly if necessary. He liquidated his UST holdings on May 7 or 8, 2022, when the write-down began.

The Terraform Labs case is a complex and ongoing investigation involving allegations of fraud and deception. The SEC's investigation into Jump Trading's involvement raises further questions about the stability of algorithmic stablecoins and the role of third-party actors in the cryptocurrency market.