Sam Thapaliya, the mastermind behind the Movement project airdrop scandal, posted a lengthy thread on X platform that seemed to clarify the facts, attempting to respond to Coindesk's accusations of his early involvement in the Movement project.
However, this thread not only failed to clear his suspicions but also exposed his potentially unsavory role in the Movement project. As a notorious 'puppet master', Sam Thapaliya's actions are questionable, as he may have manipulated airdrop distributions using his consultant status and could even be linked to the large-scale token sell-off incident. Below is a整理 and exposure of his defensive content.
Sam Thapaliya claimed in a post that he met with co-founder Cooper at Vanderbilt University before the establishment of Movement and proposed the incubation of a project based on the Move language, which led to the creation of Satay. He also claimed to have provided financial support and helped launch Satay:
Before the establishment of Movement, I personally met with Cooper at Vanderbilt University and proposed the incubation of a project using Move, which led to the creation of Satay. Satay is a yield aggregator, and I provided financial support and helped it launch.
On the surface, Sam seems like a generous supporter, but this is more like a trap he has carefully designed. The creation of Satay as a yield aggregator may just be the first step for Sam to infiltrate the Movement project. Through financial support, he likely planted the seeds of control in the early stages of the project, paving the way for subsequent conspiracies.
Immediately after Cooper founded MVMT Labs, Sam quickly intervened as a 'consultant', claiming to provide 'comprehensive assistance' such as fundraising, token economics design, and emotional support:
When Cooper turned to establish MVMT Labs (before Rushi joined the team), he relied on my advice and support, covering all aspects—from fundraising to token economics, to emotional support—I closely collaborated with Cooper to help launch Movement.
This 'intimate collaboration' seems more like Sam's manipulation of Cooper. Who knows how he used his influence behind the scenes for personal gain? A true consultant would prioritize the project's interests, while Sam's actions seem aimed at dominating the Movement project.
Role switching: Marketing to cover the truth
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was released. But as the project approached the Token Generation Event (TGE), he quickly returned to 'advise' Cooper on handling the airdrop proposal: as Rushi joined Movement and led the technical team, Sam claimed he was 'stepping back' to focus on go-to-market work and facilitated by @vannacharma.
This 'step back' is clearly Sam's smoke and mirrors. While appearing to reduce involvement, he continues to manipulate behind the scenes. His so-called 'marketing' may just be an excuse to cover his true intentions, and his swift return to participating in the airdrop proposal seems more like seizing the last opportunity for personal gain. Sam's repeated role changes raise suspicions about whether he is deliberately hiding his true intentions.
Airdrop conspiracy: The puppet master behind the 75,000 wallets
During the airdrop preparation phase, Sam claimed that the Movement team discovered issues with the testnet dataset, and Cooper commissioned him to find a data science team for the audit. He also claimed to have suggested flattening the airdrop rewards to ensure fairness, but Cooper insisted on granting the maximum token share to 75,000 specific wallets.
Cooper commissioned me to find a data science team to audit the airdrop dataset used based on the testnet, as the Movement team realized that the dataset they relied on did not accurately reflect the usage of the testnet. Due to numerous issues with the dataset, I suggested that Cooper flatten the rewards for all airdrop participants (distribute them evenly). During this time, Cooper was very insistent on granting a maximum percentage of token shares to a specific group of 75,000 wallets.
Sam here tries to shift the blame to Cooper, but who can believe his words? As someone well-versed in token economics, Sam is fully capable of manipulating the audit of datasets, and he may have even deliberately created issues to pave the way for his conspiracy. His mentioned 'flattening' suggestion seems more like a cover for his manipulation of the 75,000 wallets.
He also provided a so-called 'network distribution map' (Appendix 1), claiming it showcases the concentrated distribution of the 75,000 wallets. The background of the image is black, with a large blue radiating pattern in the center and a red dot in the middle, surrounded by several smaller blue radiating patterns, some with red center dots. This image lacks any data labels and appears hollow and suspicious. Sam claims this image symbolizes the concentrated distribution of wallets, but it is more likely a prop he uses to confuse the public and cover up his true relationship with these wallets.
Sell-off scandal: Sam's 'masterpiece'
Sam further revealed that these 75,000 wallets were almost the only ones to successfully claim the airdrop on December 9, 2024, and quickly bundled and sold off over $60 million in $MOVE tokens. He provided a link to the wallet addresses (https://t.co/NFb5OVq1jU) and mentioned a heat map that allegedly shows the sell-off behavior of these wallets:
You can find these wallets at https://t.co/NFb5OVq1jU and observe the distribution below. These wallets were almost the only ones to claim and able to bundle and sell over $60 million in $MOVE during the December 9 airdrop. You can see from the heat map below how these wallets were bundled and then sold off after claiming the airdrop.
Although this heat map is not directly shown, according to Sam's description, it may illustrate the activity patterns of the wallets after the airdrop, such as transaction volumes and time distributions. However, the evidence Sam provided seems weak. The 'bundling and selling' behavior he mentioned appears more like the result of his careful planning. As someone skilled in market manipulation, Sam is fully capable of insider trading through these wallets, rapidly selling tokens for profit while pushing the blame for the market crash onto Cooper.
Background reveal: The dark history of Sam Thapaliya
Sam's post appears to be 'clarifying the facts', but in reality, it is a response to Coindesk's report. According to an article published by Coindesk on April 30, 2025, Movement Labs was involved in a market manipulation scandal. A mysterious intermediary company named Rentech controlled 66 million MOVE tokens and sold them off after the token listing, causing a price crash. Sam Thapaliya, as a 'consultant' for Movement, is closely tied to this incident. He obtained 5% of the total supply for marketing through secret agreements, along with an additional 2.5%, which itself raises questions about his motives.
Even more shocking is Sam's connection to Rentech. Reports indicate that Rentech was founded by Sam's business partner Galen Law-Kun, and Sam himself was cc'd in leaked emails, having direct ties to malicious market makers. In addition, Rushi Manche, co-founder of Movement Labs, was recently ousted, while Sam tried to shift all the blame onto Cooper and Rushi, portraying himself as an innocent 'victim'.
Sam Thapaliya's past is also filled with controversy. He was the founder of Zebec Protocol, but the company was accused of suppressing negative information through 'bots', and his reputation is already notorious. Industry insiders even publicly warned: 'Sam Thapaliya cannot escape responsibility again.' (NoSleepJon, Hyperlane representative).
Sam Thapaliya's thread on X seemingly clarifies the facts, but in reality, it is another clumsy performance to cover up his crimes. From the 'incubation' of Satay to his role as a consultant for Movement, and to the manipulation in airdrop distributions, every step Sam took was filled with calculations. His rapid sell-off of $60 million in $MOVE using the 75,000 specific wallets aligns closely with Coindesk's report on the 66 million token sell-off event, making it hard not to suspect that he is the puppet master.
As a seasoned player in market manipulation, Sam Thapaliya tries to distract attention through abstract images and vague heat maps, but these tricks cannot hide his true nature. The airdrop scandal of the Movement project not only exposes Sam's greed and immorality but also sounds the alarm for the entire blockchain industry regarding his behavior. Sam Thapaliya's conspiracy may have momentarily succeeded, but the truth will eventually come to light, and his misdeeds will eventually be punished.