In a surprising twist, Jarett Dunn (aka Stacc) is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea over an attack on Solana token launchpad Pump.fun, by way of an abuse of position as well as transfer of criminal property. With this move, his legal team has quit the case.
At the time of the attack, Dunn was a disgruntled employee of Pump.fun and said that he wanted to “kill” the protocol as it had “inadvertently hurt people for a long time.”
Pump.fun is a Solana-based meme coin factory that has birthed some of the biggest tokens of the year, along with countless scams, rug pulls, and outrageous money-fueled stunts—including one user that set himself on fire to pump his token.
As the Pump.fun attacker siphoned an estimated $2 million from the protocol, he sent the tokens to a handful of random, non-consenting addresses. This led to a group of onlookers to hail Dunn as crypto’s Robin Hood, despite the attack still hurting some everyday traders.
On Friday, Dunn attended London’s Wood Green Crown Court in a hearing that was scheduled to be his sentencing. If all had gone as planned, he was set to leave in cuffs, possibly facing more than seven years in prison.
But in a last-minute change of heart, the admitted Pump.fun attacker requested to vacate his guilty plea. This move could potentially see Dunn face more time in prison.
Dunn’s legal team informed the court of their client’s wish, to the judge’s visible surprise. His legal representative stated that Dunn had been provided with legal advice on this decision, and that Dunn remained “adamant” about withdrawing the plea.
As a result, his current legal team will not be representing him going forward. Dunn later told Decrypt that the team did not think attempting to change the plea was a good idea, hence why they’re withdrawing from the case.
The Canadian national now has two weeks to find representation for a hearing in which he will seek to change his plea. If this is accepted, then the case will then go to trial during which many witnesses—likely including the Pump.fun founders—will be called to testify.
That said, there is a chance that the court will reject Dunn’s request.
One concern, which was vocalized during the Friday hearing, is that Dunn has confessed to committing the crime on multiple occasions. This includes a public Twitter post within minutes of the attack, in which he wrote, “Everybody be cool, this is a robbery.”
And now; Magick: everybody be cool, this is a r o b b e r y. What it do, staccattack? I’m about to change the course of history. n then rot in jail. am I sane? nah. am I well? v much not. do I want for anything? my mom raised from the dead n barring that: /x
— not jarrett drunn, that’s for sure (@STACCoverflow) May 16, 2024
Despite the potentially sizable challenge ahead of him, Dunn still sees it as a worthwhile fight. After the hearing, he told Decrypt that there are a few details that have yet to be disclosed that give him hope going into a potential trial.
Known as Stacc, the ex-Pump.fun employee has garnered somewhat of a cultlike following due to his philosophical and crypto-related ramblings, as well as being transparent about struggles with his mental health and addiction.
On Thursday, Dunn said goodbye to his fans on Twitter (aka X) and shared his “last meal” as a free man—before announcing his intention to change his plea.
“We may go to trial. We may not. It’s worth trying, even if they deny me tomorrow and give me seven years on the spot,” he wrote.
“Good luck brother,” one of his followers responded. “FIGHT my friend! FIGHT,” another replied.
He later debated the case with followers, claiming that details in the initial charge were wrong. In one post, he even asked if anyone would testify on his behalf in a future trial, sharing any criticism they had about Pump.fun—and more than 10 people replied, claiming they would.
But on Friday, Dunn stood in Wood Green Crown Court alone, just his girlfriend and a pal from his substance recovery group in attendance.
The judge asked if he had sought new representation, as his old legal team can no longer represent him. “Errr… yes,” he replied unconvincingly. The judge raised her eyebrow, looking over her glasses at Dunn.
The whole scenario has been surreal for Dunn, he told Decrypt, explaining that the process has felt like being in a dreamlike state, floating from moment to moment.
“To quote ‘Fight Club’: ‘You met me at a very weird time in my life,’” he said, chuckling in the court canteen.
He now has two weeks, living under the same bail conditions as he has the past few months, to find a new lawyer—and fight for his freedom.
Edited by Andrew Hayward
