Evolved Apes
From Invertopedia, the encyclopedia of how things fail
Evolved Apes was a collection of 10,000 cartoon-ape NFTs sold in September 2021 on the promise of a fighting game in which the apes would compete[1][3]. The collection reportedly sold out in about ten minutes, and the anonymous developer known as "Evil Ape" then reportedly disappeared with 798 ETH, worth over $2.7 million[4]. In June 2024 US prosecutors charged three UK nationals over the project; the charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent[5].
Contents
The bet
The website's roadmap said that "EvolvedApes will be launching a fighting game" in which every owner could compete[3]. It promised that each ape had its own stats, that wins would improve them, and that daily prize tournaments would run, "eventually making your NFT more valuable"[3]. Buyers were betting that the game money would be spent on the game.
What happened
| Mar – Sep 2021 | According to the indictment, the three defendants prepare the project, including website copy promising an "NFT built action game."[3] |
|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2021 | The Evolved Apes website goes up with a roadmap whose "Phase 5" promises a fighting game, at an "entry fee" of 0.08 ETH per ape.[3] |
| Sep 23, 2021 | Public sales begin. Thousands of buyers send ETH to the project's address.[3] |
| Sep 24, 2021 | The day after the first sales, the project's address sends out all the crypto it has received, then worth more than $2 million, the indictment says.[3] |
| Oct 5, 2021 | By about this date the website is down. No game is ever released.[3] |
| Oct 6, 2021 | Cointelegraph reports that "Evil Ape" took down the project's website and Twitter account and allegedly left with 798 ETH. Holders form "Fight Back Apes" to carry on.[4] |
| Dec 2023 | A court order freezes funds in a crypto address belonging to one defendant, Daood Hassan, according to the indictment.[3] |
| Jun 6, 2024 | The US Attorney in Manhattan unseals an indictment charging Mohamed-Amin Atcha, Mohamed Rilaz Waleedh and Daood Hassan, all 23, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.[5] |
| Apr 15, 2026 | In a separate civil case, a federal judge in Manhattan orders forfeited a crypto wallet that the government alleged held proceeds traceable to wire fraud. The three men were sent notice as the only known potential claimants, and no claim was filed.[6] |
The kill shot
The people who promised the game also held the money, with no one able to stop them moving it. Once it moved, there was nothing left to build with.
Buyers' ETH went to a single address named in the project's smart contract[3]. The indictment says that address was emptied on September 24, 2021, and the funds passed through intermediary addresses into accounts that included the defendants' personal accounts at an exchange[3]. Prosecutors allege that one defendant, when the exchange froze his withdrawal, called himself the project's "lead marketing manager" and described the balance as his "cut"[1][3].
The holders who stayed proposed a multisig wallet for their rescue project so that no single person could move the funds again[4]. That was the check the original project never had.
Red flags ignored
- An anonymous developer. The person running the project was known only as "Evil Ape."[4]
- One wallet, one key. All mint money went to one address, and nothing stopped it being emptied the next day.[3]
- A roadmap that promised value. The site tied the NFTs' worth to a game that did not exist yet.[3]
- Paid hype. Prosecutors allege the team paid a social media influencer to promote the launch.[1][3]
The cost
798 ETH, worth over $2.7 million at the time, according to reporting on the theft[1][4]. The indictment puts what left the project's address on September 24, 2021 at more than $2 million[3]. By October 2021 the collection's floor price on OpenSea had fallen to 0.005 ETH, a fraction of the mint price[4], and in June 2024 thousands of Evolved Apes were still listed there[2].
Each of the two charges carries a maximum of 20 years in prison[5].
The inversion
Anonymous plus custody of the money is the whole risk. Avoid either one: know who holds the funds, and make sure no single person can move them.
What survived
A criminal case that is still only an indictment. The US Attorney's office stresses that the charges are accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty[5]. We found no public report of a plea, trial or verdict as of October 2026.
A forfeiture. In January 2026 the government filed to seize one crypto wallet as alleged fraud proceeds, with the three men noticed as the only known potential claimants, and in April 2026 the court ordered it forfeited after no one contested it[6]. The holders' own rescue effort, Fight Back Apes, planned a new collection airdropped to existing owners[4].
References
- ^ “Feds Charge UK Nationals With $3 Million 'Evolved Apes' Ethereum NFT Scam”. Decrypt, June 7, 2024. The 10,000 Ethereum NFTs, 798 ETH worth about $2.7 million at the time, the influencer and the "lead marketing manager" withdrawal.
- ^ “US authorities charge three UK nationals in Evolved Apes NFT fraud scheme”. The Art Newspaper, June 14, 2024. About 10,000 ape images, the charges, and 9,870 Evolved Apes still listed on OpenSea.
- ^ “United States v. Atcha, Waleedh and Hassan, Indictment”. U.S. Attorney's Office, S.D.N.Y., unsealed June 6, 2024 (read via the Wayback Machine). The allegations: preparation from March 2021, the September 10 website, roadmap and quotes, 0.08 ETH price, September 23 sales, September 24 transfers of more than $2 million, the October 5 takedown, the exchange chat, and the December 2023 freeze.
- ^ “'Evolved Apes' NFT creator allegedly absconds with $2.7 million”. Cointelegraph, October 6, 2021. "Evil Ape", 798 ETH (over $2.7 million), the ten-minute sell-out, the site and Twitter taken down, the 0.005 ETH floor, and Fight Back Apes with its multisig plan and airdrop.
- ^ “Three United Kingdom Nationals Charged In Connection With "Evolved Apes" NFT Scam”. U.S. Attorney's Office, S.D.N.Y., June 6, 2024 (read via the Wayback Machine). The defendants, their ages, the two conspiracy charges, the 20-year maximums, and the presumption of innocence.
- ^ “United States v. All Monies, Assets, and Funds Contained Within Virtual Currency Wallet 0xd599…8017, No. 1:26-cv-00401”. U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y., docket and Judgment of Forfeiture (April 15, 2026) via CourtListener. The January 15, 2026 forfeiture complaint, notice sent to Hassan, Atcha and Waleedh, no claims filed, and the April 15, 2026 forfeiture judgment.