ZachXBT Strikes Again: $10,000 Bounty to Identify LAB Token Manipulator
- Core Point: On-chain detective ZachXBT has publicly offered a bounty for information identifying the founder of the LAB token, accusing them of price manipulation. On-chain analysts further confirm that approximately 95% of LAB tokens are controlled by the team, raising suspicions of a pump-and-dump scheme. The project continued to transfer large amounts of tokens even after being exposed.
- Key Elements:
- ZachXBT has posted a $10,000 bounty for information on LAB founder vsadkovv's identity and internal documents like market-making contracts, accusing them of token price manipulation, thereby undermining industry credibility.
- On-chain analyst Specter's report estimates that approximately 95% of the LAB token supply is controlled by the team, with at least six associated addresses still holding large quantities, indicating a high risk of market domination.
- The LAB token price surged from the $0.2-$0.5 range in late April to nearly $5 by May 4th, gaining over 1300% in the last 30 days. During this period, core addresses aggregated approximately 100 million tokens to Bitget, accounting for roughly 50% of the circulating supply.
- On May 5th, a team-associated address transferred at least 911 ETH through the Tornado Cash mixer to obfuscate fund flows, further substantiating manipulative behavior.
- Even after ZachXBT's bounty announcement, the project continued to transfer 3.66 million LAB (approximately $14.07 million) from a multi-sig address to a new address on May 7th, indicating that the manipulative actions have not ceased.
Original Author: ChandlerZ, Foresight News
On May 7, on-chain detective ZachXBT publicly offered a $10,000 bounty for information on the identity of LAB token founder vsadkovv (Vova Sadkov), including passports, government-issued IDs, as well as internal documents such as market maker contracts used by LAB on Bitget spot, Bybit perpetual, Binance perpetual, and OKX perpetual, along with chat records.
ZachXBT stated that he had previously contacted the LAB team privately but received no response, leading him to escalate the matter publicly. In his tweet, he specifically pointed out that vsadkovv posts "philosophical musings" on social media to cultivate a personal image while simultaneously engaging in token price manipulation, stating that such behavior "is further eroding the overall credibility of the crypto industry."
On the same day, on-chain analyst Specter released a more detailed on-chain tracking report, characterizing LAB's price volatility as a pump-and-dump scheme.
A Premeditated Pump
LAB is a multi-chain trading terminal project supporting spot, limit orders, and perpetual contracts across multiple chains, featuring AI-driven analytical tools. According to estimates from several on-chain analysts, approximately 95% of LAB's token supply is concentrated in the hands of the team and insiders. Specter listed at least six wallet addresses associated with the team, which still hold a significant amount of LAB tokens.
Looking at the price chart, LAB traded sideways in a low range between $0.2 and $0.5 throughout most of April. Around April 28, it began a stepwise rally, gradually breaking through the $1 and $2 levels. On May 4, it accelerated, surging to nearly $5, representing a gain of over 1300% in 30 days. However, the period was marked by extreme volatility, with sharp pullbacks following rallies.
According to Arkham's monitoring, around April 24, a core address associated with LAB began intensively consolidating funds into three Bitget deposit addresses (0xDd7..., 0x659...). Analysis shows these two addresses received a total of 100 million LAB tokens, worth approximately $64.96 million, all of which were subsequently transferred to Bitget's hot wallet.
On April 25, this address transferred 18 million LAB tokens to a Bitget deposit address in two transactions, worth a total of about $15.39 million. At the time, LAB's circulating supply was 230.4 million tokens, meaning the amount received by this Bitget deposit address represented roughly 50% of the circulating supply. The concentration of large amounts of tokens on exchanges during the price rally could indicate subsequent selling for cash or market maker position adjustments.
According to Specter's analysis, starting in May, addresses linked to the LAB project executed a series of highly suspicious on-chain operations.
One address (0xb61d2e77...f18a103e5) performed multiple Multicall and Transfer operations on May 5, involving interactions with SushiSwap V3 and contract creation. More notably, on May 4, another group of addresses (0x11F9b0f4...DF8e61Df) initiated at least nine deposit transactions to the Tornado Cash Router in quick succession, each for 100 ETH, totaling at least 900 ETH. Additionally, there was one deposit of 10 ETH and another of 1 ETH, bringing the total to over 911 ETH.
After the Exposure: Team Continues Large-Scale Token Transfers
Notably, even after ZachXBT's public bounty, the on-chain activity of the LAB team did not cease. According to on-chain analyst @ai_9684xtpa, on May 7, an address received 3.66 million LAB tokens, worth approximately $14.07 million, from the LAB project's multi-signature address (0x36F...0C291).
Tracing back, the source of these funds is the deployer address for the LAB token. Subsequently, this address transferred 2.125 million tokens to two contract addresses, the purpose of which remains unclear.
Price-wise, LAB initially crashed from nearly $5 to $3 following ZachXBT's allegations but quickly rebounded within a night. As of May 8, it was trading at approximately $4.64011, almost completely recovering its losses.
In October 2025, LAB announced the completion of a $5 million funding round with participation from Selini Capital, Re7 Capital, Cypher Capital, RedBeard VC, Lemniscap, TVM Ventures, OKX Ventures, Mirana, KuCoin Ventures, Gate Ventures, GSR, Animoca Brands, and Presto Labs. The funds were intended to accelerate infrastructure, products, and global expansion.
The issue of price manipulation in the crypto industry is drawing broader regulatory scrutiny. In April 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted 10 executives from market makers like Gotbit and Vortex, accusing them of using bots for wash trading to inflate token prices. The founder of Gotbit has pleaded guilty and agreed to forfeit $23 million.
Whether the LAB incident will trigger similar enforcement actions depends on whether ZachXBT's bounty investigation can gather sufficient identity and contract evidence.
As of press time, the LAB team and vsadkovv have not issued a public response to the aforementioned allegations.
