Hunting the $477,000,000 FTX Hacker

When FTX imploded in November 2022, chaos followed. Billions in user funds were missing, regulators were scrambling, and Sam Bankman-Fried’s empire was crumbling. But in the midst of this financial disaster, an even deeper mystery emerged—one that remains unsolved to this day.

Just hours after FTX filed for bankruptcy, an unknown hacker drained over $400 million from the exchange’s wallets. For months, speculation ran wild. Was it an inside job? A rogue employee? A government operation? Slowly, pieces of the puzzle started coming together, leading investigators to a mysterious figure: Elswapo 1, also known as Robert Powell.

This video explores how Powell became linked to the FTX hack, what we know about his background, and how on-chain evidence and leaked communications suggest a deeper connection to one of the largest financial crimes in crypto history. We also examine the broader implications—how this exploit affected FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings, what it revealed about vulnerabilities in centralized exchanges, and whether justice will ever be served.

Could Powell have acted alone, or was he just a pawn in a much larger game? And more importantly, what does this mean for the future of crypto security and investor trust?