Blockchain developer claims they are being held in Turkey over Ethereum 'misuse' allegation

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Quick Take

  • A crypto developer known as “Fede’s intern” claims to be in Turkish custody, alleging authorities have accused him of helping others “misuse Ethereum.”
  • While specific accusations remain unclear, the individual said he will share more information once he leaves the country.

An individual known as "Fede's intern" claims to have been detained in Turkey on allegations of helping others "misuse Ethereum," according to a series of posts on social media platform X. The person, who identifies as an Argentinian developer focused on ZK and Ethereum, said he is being held in Izmir.

In a post published on Sunday, Fede's intern wrote that Turkey's Minister of Interior accused him of facilitating Ethereum misuse and that authorities confined him to a room.

"It's obviously wrong, we are just infra builders," the developer said, while adding that he is open to cooperating with the authorities. In following posts, Fede's intern wrote that he is receiving assistance from his legal team and may soon be able to leave the country, headed to Europe.

As details about the specific accusations against Fede's intern remain unclear, some users on the social media platform have raised doubts about his claims, with user "0xCenk" stating that there is "zero legal basis" for detaining an individual on such charges.

In a reply, Fede's intern wrote: "[I'm] waiting to share more information until I'm out of the country and our attorney gives me the green light ... I don't know what the heck I win by inventing that this happened to me." 

According to his X profile, he is associated with a few crypto and blockchain projects, including investment firm Lambda Class and blockchain solutions firm Aligned.

The Block has reached out to the Turkish authorities, Lambda Class and the Ethereum Foundation for more information on the situation.

This is a developing story.


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© 2025 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

AUTHOR

Timmy Shen is an Asia editor for The Block. Previously, he wrote about crypto and Web3 for Forkast.News from Taiwan after spending more than three years in Beijing covering finance, entertainment business and current affairs at Caixin Global and Chinese tech at TechNode. His China-related reporting has also appeared in The Guardian. When he's not chasing headlines, you'll find him savoring hot pot and shabu shabu in a Taipei local haunt. Timmy holds an MS degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Send tips to [email protected] or get in touch on X/Telegram @timmyhmshen.

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To contact the editor of this story: Danny Park at [email protected]

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