Justin Sun targets First Digital Trust with $50 million bounty over alleged embezzlement

The integrity of the FDUSD stablecoin falters as market declines by nearly $400 million in 48 hours.

Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.

TRON founder Justin Sun has announced a $50 million bounty program to expose the alleged $500 million embezzlement by First Digital Trust (FDT), the issuer of the FDUSD stablecoin.

In an April 4 statement on social media, Sun revealed that the bounty represents roughly 10% of the stolen funds. The development comes less than 24 hours after Sun met with Hong Kong lawmaker Johnny Wu.

He urged insiders and industry players with relevant information to come forward, promising full transparency through a dedicated portal, web3bounty.io, that will track the investigation and reward process.

He stated:

“All claims will be rigorously assessed before rewards are delivered.”

According to Sun, the mission goes beyond recovering funds. He said the case is about protecting the integrity of the web3 ecosystem and defending Hong Kong’s position as a trusted global financial center.

On April 3, the TRON founder submitted documents to local authorities and pressed for immediate regulatory scrutiny on FDT. Sun claimed that the situation exposes deep flaws in how trust entities operate within the intersection of traditional finance and blockchain platforms.

To raise further awareness, Sun hosted a press conference detailing what he said were severe irregularities within FDT. He also alleged that the firm was functionally insolvent but still operating under the guise of a public trust.

Hong Kong authorities have since pledged to take swift action if Sun’s fraud allegations against FDT prove valid.

FDUSD suffers

The ongoing controversy between Sun and First Digital Trust is already having a visible impact on the FDUSD stablecoin.

On April 2, the stablecoin experienced significant price volatility following Sun’s claims but has since stabilized.

However, investor confidence appears shaken. Data from CryptoSlate shows that FDUSD’s market capitalization dropped from $2.59 billion on April 2 to around $2.2 billion, reflecting a nearly $400 million decline within 48 hours.

FDT has since acknowledged processing some redemptions, attributing the outflows to growing market uncertainty following the allegations.

The team has also promised to defend its business and reputation from what it called a misleading narrative.

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