In 2021, Rhoades promoted PAWGcoin and later developed an NFT image project launched in 2022. The project became controversial after cryptocurrency investigator Coffeezilla reported that it was abandoned following a launch that raised approximately $1.8 million. Coffeezilla alleged that roughly $1.5 million in crypto assets were transferred out of the project, prompting accusations that the venture resembled a so-called rug pull rather than a functioning long-term NFT enterprise. The episode damaged Rhoades's reputation in the online creator and cryptocurrency communities, where celebrity-backed digital-asset projects were already being criticized for hype, weak accountability, and rapid abandonment. The available account identifies the financial movements and accusations through Coffeezilla's reporting, but does not establish a criminal conviction or a definitive legal finding that Rhoades intentionally defrauded investors.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 2020s
The $1.8 Million PAWGCoin NFT Controversy
Lana Rhoades / 2020s
In 2021, Rhoades promoted PAWGcoin and later developed an NFT image project launched in 2022. The project became controversial after cryptocurrency investigator Coffeezilla reported that it was abandoned following a launch that raised approximately $1.8 million. Coffeezilla alleged that roughly $1.5 million in crypto assets were transferred out of the project, prompting accusations that the venture resembled a so-called rug pull rather than a functioning long-term NFT enterprise. The episode damaged Rhoades's reputation in the online creator and cryptocurrency communities, where celebrity-backed digital-asset projects were already being criticized for hype, weak accountability, and rapid abandonment. The available account identifies the financial movements and accusations through Coffeezilla's reporting, but does not establish a criminal conviction or a definitive legal finding that Rhoades intentionally defrauded investors.
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