Former Ethereum advisor Steven Nerayoff has launched a fresh attack against Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, accusing him of extortion and involvement in a coordinated character assassination. This comes after XRP lawyer John Deaton revealed that he had seen evidence held by Nerayoff, which allegedly shows irregularities in the Ethereum initial coin offering (ICO) back in 2014.

Nerayoff claimed that Vitalik and his father Dmitry Buterin orchestrated a scripted attack against him, aiming to make him the scapegoat. In a video, Vitalik accused Nerayoff of committing a significant amount of fraud related to ICO extortion. Nerayoff questioned whether Vitalik was deflecting attention from himself by making false accusations.

Earlier, Nerayoff and Deaton disclosed documents suggesting corrupt practices within the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and surrounding the Ethereum ICO. Nerayoff also criticized the Ethereum Foundation, stating that they were not being truthful about the extortion story. Deaton hinted at more revelations to come, emphasizing that the truth would eventually surface.

In another surprising revelation, Nerayoff claimed that Vitalik had abandoned Virgil Griffith, a senior researcher and developer at the Ethereum Foundation, after Griffith was convicted of assisting North Korea in evading sanctions. Nerayoff supported this allegation by referencing a Trust Nodes article from November 2019, which stated that the Foundation had distanced itself from Griffith’s arrest.

The ongoing dispute between Nerayoff and Vitalik continues to unfold, with both parties making serious accusations against each other. As more information emerges, the situation surrounding the fraud allegations and the Ethereum Foundation’s actions will likely become clearer.