YouTube star boxer and wrestler Logan Paul is not any stranger to controversy.
He promoted alleged UFO movies and the questionable energy drink Prime — which Recent York Senator Chuck Schumer is now calling on the FDA to research. He once posted a video showing a dead body in Aokigahara Japan’s “suicide forest” and sparked the wrath of PETA after videos showed him paralyzing two dead rats and performing CPR on a koi fish.
But some are also calling the 28-year-old – who boasts 23.6 million YouTube subscribers, 25.9 million Instagram followers and 17.7 million TikTok followers – a crypto scammer.
In the autumn of 2021, Paul announced CryptoZoo, a supposedly animated NFT project inspired by Pokemon and marketed as “really fun game to make money“. For just over $1,100, users would have the ability to “hatch” and “grow, harvest and trade exotic animal hybrids on the blockchain” in response to Coinbase. The rarer the animal, the upper the each day income of the in-game currency, Zoo Tokens.
![Logan Paul with the drink mascot Prime](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013858934.jpg?w=819)
The initial 10,000 NFT sold out immediately, however the game never materialized. So far, no game exists.
Investors were and still are furious.
In January Paweł – something value mentioning $245 million — submitted a $1.5 million recovery plan compensate dissatisfied investorssaying that he desires to “offer a rewards program to players who are dissatisfied with the state of the sport” and likewise guarantees to finish the sport.
A month later, many investors applied class motion lawsuit against each CryptoZoo and Paul, claiming that Paul and members of the CryptoZoo team had stolen tens of millions of dollars from investors through a “fraudulent enterprise”. The plaintiffs named within the lawsuit declined to talk to The Post, citing fear of retaliation.
![Fake animal from CryptoZoo marketing](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013863413.jpg)
![Fake animal from CryptoZoo marketing](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013863414.jpg?w=576)
![Fake animal from CryptoZoo marketing](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013863409.jpg)
“[Paul and others behind with CryptoZoo] made a business decision to desert the costly and time-consuming technique of creating or operating a functional CryptoZoo game, and as an alternative deliberately embarked on a plan to defraud Plaintiff and other consumers,” the continued lawsuit claimed.
The lawsuit might never have been filed without the work of Stephen “Coffeezilla” Findeisen, a person who makes his living investigating online fraud.
For greater than a 12 months, Findeisen, a self-proclaimed web detective, has been keeping a watch on the CryptoZoo enterprise. In December 2022, he published e.g three-part series on YouTube, blaming the numerous ways the NFT project has failed investors and interviewing dozens of individuals who claimed to have lost money.
Certainly one of the toughest hit was an Australian who lost near $335,000 (USD). He asked that his name not be used for fear of retaliation.
![Stephen](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013949165.jpg?w=819)
Findeisen’s videos have gone viral. In March, he appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, one among the world’s largest podcasts, to debate his findings.
To this point, Findeisen told The Post, no investor was compensated. (Paul stated in his January video that he apologized to Findeisen, after the accusation an investigative reporter using his name for “views and money” and posting a “defamation hit” in response to Findeisen’s YouTube series. Paul also said that suing Findeisen “would not help CryptoZoo holders.”
He estimates that there are “tens of hundreds” of victims. In line with Findeisen, who has near 3 million YouTube subscribers, Paul owes investors greater than $3.6 million.
Meanwhile, Zach KellingCrypto Zoo’s chief engineer told The Post that Paul owes him “no less than $1 million” for his work.
![Logan Paul selfie video in tweet](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013991153.jpg)
“Logan doxx me in january in a really public YouTube attack video, blaming me for the failure of his project after he refused to pay my team and blacklisted all our tokens,” Kelling said. “This has led to death threats and put my family’s lives at risk…
“Though [Paul] has since removed the video of the attack, my unlucky relationship with the project as a developer caused huge problems in my life and profession,” added Kelling, a native of Kansas City. “I deeply regret ever attempting to help him or his team.”
Findeisen invited The Post to a Discord group made up entirely of CryptoZoo victims — all of whom have asked that their names not be published for fear of retaliation.
![Zach Kelling](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013956724.jpg)
One member who uses the username “cptdandan” claimed to have lost $110,000. One other victim said “a refund is not enough. But when that is all that happens. then that is something. My wish for Logan Paul can be to remain in prison, but that can never occur.
He concluded that no less than “some government motion is required.” (So far, no government regulators have charged Paul with any criminal conduct in reference to CryptoZoo.)
A 3rd disgruntled commentator called Paul’s behavior “deplorable”, adding: “The incontrovertible fact that he’s just attempting to hide and hope it goes away is the worst.” He made a mistake – he must own it and do the suitable thing.
![Paul in a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013956583.jpg?w=1024)
One other investor who claims to have lost $15,000 thing.”
Paul did not reply to requests for comment.
Findeisen also has a message for Paul: “When you make big guarantees, you’ve to maintain them. Cheating fans is unacceptable.
![Logan Paul on one knee proposes marriage to Nina Agdal](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013854675.jpg?w=821)
“In my personal opinion, CryptoZoo was a scam, but I leave it as much as law enforcement to make a decision whether further motion must be taken,” said the 37-year-old. “Straight away, Logan Paul is being sued by his former fans and I believe that claims rather a lot in regards to the damage he’s done to others and his own fame.”
Findeisen guarantees it “will not stop helping victims get their money back. Logan Paul promised to return them, time to pay.