Document Proves Hinman Lied Under Oath During His Deposition in SEC Vs. Ripple

The document proves that Hinman lied under oath.

Pro-XRP lawyer John Deaton has shared evidence showing that William Hinman, former director of SEC’s Corporation Finance, lied under oath during his deposition in the Ripple lawsuit.

It is worth noting that the deposition happened on July 27, 2021. In the transcript from Hinman’s deposition, Ripple’s lawyers asked the former SEC official whether he communicated with anyone outside of the SEC about the substance of his June 14, 2018, speech before he gave it.

Responding to the question, Hinman said he did not discuss the substance of the speech with anyone outside the SEC. Attorney Deaton highlighted his response as false.

Per Deaton, Hinman’s emails show that he informed his colleagues on June 4, 2018, that he would meet with Ethereum’s co-founder Vitalik Buterin to gain more knowledge about Ethereum.

Deaton asserted that Hinman and Buterin met on June 8, 2018, less than a week after the former gave the speech, where he declared ETH as non-security.

Read 🧵👇 w/the IG referral. The Hinman emails show on June 4, 2018 Hinman told his colleagues at the SEC that he was speaking w/@VitalikButerin BEFORE the speech to gain more knowledge about Ethereum. They met on June 8. But Hinman said this under oath:https://t.co/ydHaLTZfYv

— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) June 16, 2023

Reacting to the development, prominent XRP community member Ashley Prosper noted that Hinman “definitely lied” under oath unless he wants to claim that Buterin is also an SEC staff.

He definitely lied…. unless, Vitalik IS SEC staff… 👀

— Ashley PROSPER (@AshleyPROSPER1) June 16, 2023

Hinman’s Speech Stirs Controversies

Hinman’s emails have continued to suggest that someone influenced Hinman to give the speech. At first, Hinman titled his first email while drafting the speech “The Ether Speech.”

He also blatantly ignored the warnings from top SEC officials about the confusion his speech might cause in the market. Some SEC staff warned that the content of the speech was divorced from Howey prongs. Despite these concerns, Hinman gave the speech.

Meanwhile, Ripple is already making efforts to uncover the mysteries behind the controversial speech, especially who or what influenced Hinman to give the speech.