Blockchain analysis shows Bitcoin worth a half-million dollars went to organizers of the January 6 Capitol riots.

Spotlight on Nicholas J. Fuentes

Fuentes is one of the Alt-Right organizers present at the capitol riots. Like Rudy Giuliani, Fuentes egged on everyone else with inflammatory speeches while standing on the sidelines.

Many journalists are falsely claiming that I was photographed in Nancy Pelosi’s office with Baked Alaska— this is fake news! I did not enter the Capitol building. I was outside on the lawn wearing a completely different outfit. DEFAMATION! pic.twitter.com/XOUlWWJNQw

— Nicholas J. Fuentes (@NickJFuentes) January 7, 2021

Tracking $500K in Bitcoin 

Insights reports Alt-Right Groups and Personalities Involved In Last Week’s Capitol Riot Received Over $500K In Bitcoin From French Donor One Month Prior

ProPublica reports that in the weeks leading up, many Trump supporters discussed turning the event violent on Parler, a rightwing social media app now banned by most major tech platforms. However, we now have evidence that many alt-right groups and personalities, including Fuentes, received large Bitcoin donations in a single transaction that occurred a month before the riot on December 8. We have also gathered evidence that strongly suggests the donor was a now-deceased computer programmer based in France. 

While we won’t share the donor’s identity publicly, we’ll walk you through how we made the identification and provide details on the donations below. The information we’ve uncovered shows that domestic extremism isn’t strictly domestic. International networks play a role as well, which we see reflected in the nationality of this extremist donor. The donation, as well as reports of the planning that went into the Capitol raid on alt-right communication channels, also suggests that domestic extremist groups may be better organized and funded than previously thought.

Nick Fuentes received 13.5 BTC — worth approximately $250,000 at the time of the transfer — making him by far the biggest beneficiary of the donation. However, several others received significant funds as well, including anti-immigration organization VDARE, alt-right streamer Ethan Ralph, and several addresses whose owners are as yet unidentified.

While there’s no evidence yet that Fuentes entered the Capitol — in fact, he explicitly denies entering the building — he was present at the initial rally and seen outside the Capitol as the rioting began. Fuentes promoted the rally that preceded the violence in the month before on social media. PBS notes that in the days leading up, Fuentes encouraged his audience to engage in extreme behavior to prevent Joe Biden’s election from being certified, even implying that they should kill state legislators. Fuentes had previously been banned from YouTube for hate speech, including Holocaust denial and promotion of other conspiracy theories.

The December 8 donation of over $250,000 worth of Bitcoin is by far the largest cryptocurrency donation Fuentes has ever received. Previously, the most he had ever received in a single month was $2,707 worth of Bitcoin.

1/15/21 Updates: Media outlets have confirmed the French donor’s death. French publication 20 Minutes confirmed the death of a French computer programmer who appears to have been the owner of the Bitcoin wallet from which the extremist donations were sent in December, and the blog on which the suicide note we posted above was published. Reporter Philippe Berry spoke to someone who knew the donor personally, who confirmed his death by suicide on December 8, as well as the authenticity of the note and of the health problems mentioned within. The AP also found a cached version of the obituary, including burial information, that had been deleted. 

Who Got the Funds?

Frenchman Allegedly Donated $ 500,000 in Bitcoins to the Ultra-Right American

Le Monde reports (translated from French) Frenchman Allegedly Donated $ 500,000 in Bitcoins to the Ultra-Right American.

A mysterious transatlantic donation, a suicide and a lot of questions. A month before the January 6 violence in Washington , several figures of the American ultra-right received a donation of more than $ 500,000 in bitcoins, according to researchers from the American company Chainalysis . 

The case takes on an international dimension, because Chainalysis has traced the trail to a virtual portfolio based in France. Several elements and a testimony collected by 20 Minutes suggest that it did indeed belong to a French conspiratorial computer scientist who suffered from health problems. And who committed suicide on the day the donation was made. He was 35 years old.

Still according to Chainalysis, which notably provides analytical tools to government agencies and financial institutions, nearly half of these funds ($ 250,000) were sent to Nick Fuentes . Banned by YouTube a year ago for "hate speech" and "negationism", this alt-right figure, who had participated in the rally of white supremacists in Charlottesville, has nearly 130,000 followers on Twitter. Beginning on December 18, Fuentes actively promoted the January 6 rally online. He demonstrated outside Capitol Hill with several of his supporters, dubbed the Groyper army (after a meme derived from Pepe The Frog). Fuentes, however, publicly denied entering the building.

According to Yahoo News, US authorities are investigating the transaction and more broadly looking to determine whether the Capitol riots were planned. “This is treated as a counterterrorism or counterintelligence investigation. We look at everything: money, communications, travel, ” Washington federal prosecutor Michael Sherwin said on Tuesday.

Although he does not appear to have personally participated in the clashes, which left five dead , Nick Fuentes was suspended by DLive last Saturday for "inciting violence".

What Else Can You Do But Kill Them

White supremacist and Trump apologist Nick Fuentes encourages his viewers to kill legislators in his stream last night on DLive, earning $2800 for his effort. Dlive should be held to account for promoting and monetizing this violent rhetoric. pic.twitter.com/Efbq9ly1Bo

— megan squire (@MeganSquire0) January 5, 2021

Two days before the Washington rally, he quipped live during a discussion with his followers: "What can you and I do to state legislators other than kill them?" "Before clarifying with a smile:" Well, we shouldn't do that, I don't recommend that. But hey, what else can you do?"

Please play the video.