Justin Sun Claims Techteryx Misappropriated TrueUSD Reserves

Sun doubled down on claims that TrueUSD's reserves were "misappropriated by a few bad actors," leading to him needing to quietly bail out the stablecoin.

Justin Sun, the founder of the Tron blockchain, held a press conference Thursday afternoon in Hong Kong, where he once again defended his role in bailing out Techteryx's TrueUSD (TUSD) stablecoin.

In March, Sun said he intervened to save the stablecoin after its founders claimed they were unable to fulfill redemption obligations due to issues with a Hong Kong fiduciary. At the time, Sun said he had to personally provide the funds to cover the outstanding TUSD tokens.

The Tron founder went on to accuse the fiduciary, which was later named as First Digital Trust (FDT), of misappropriating the funds, while Techteryx's role in the incident was minimal.

Sun: A few bad actors misappropriated TUSD reserves

During his press conference, Sun doubled down on claims that TrueUSD's reserves were "misappropriated by a few bad actors," leading to him needing to quietly bail out the stablecoin.

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The founder also shed light on the Hong Kong regulatory framework surrounding trusts, arguing that loopholes and loose rules allowed the alleged misappropriation to occur.

"This situation highlights a serious challenge to the integrity of the financial system that must be addressed," he said. "I found it hard to believe the scale of fraud orchestrated by a long list of licensed intermediaries."

For the time being, Sun said that Hong Kong trust companies should be avoided entirely, and urged regulators to take decisive action to safeguard the city's global financial reputation.

For that case, Sun might have an ally in the shape of Hong Kong lawmaker Johnny Ng — called the city's Web3 politician. He released a statement saying that he's aware of multiple reports this year of alleged fraud exploiting trust companies, and acknowledged that local regulation needs to be improved.

First Digital Trust denies all allegations

After Sun's press conference, First Digital Trust held its own event on X, where CEO Vincent Chok said Sun had yet to produce "one solid piece of evidence" to back up his claims.

According to Chok, FDT followed its fiduciary duties, acted in clients' best interests, complied with instructions from Sun and his nominees, which were signed off by Techteryx directors, and noted that the company is subject to third-party audits.

However, Chok acknowledged he was previously unaware of the familial connection between Aria CFF and Aria DMCC — the funds where TUSD's reserves are held up.

In a complaint to the Department of Justice, Techteryx noted that Aria CFF, the fund it said is authorized to hold TrueUSD's reserves is managed by Matthew Brittain. Aria DMCC, which Techteryx said is unauthorized, is controlled by his spouse, Cecilia Brittain.

Chok said FDT is working to recover funds, but that know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) issues involving the ultimate beneficial owner of Techteryx are apparently holding things up.

He also rejected Sun's claims in a post on X that First Digital Trust is unable to fulfill redemption obligations of its FDUSD stablecoin. The token is still very much solvent, Chok said.

FDT said it plans to pursue legal action over Sun's claims.

Earlier, the company posted examples of on-chain data showing redemptions going through.