US Seeks Feb 2026 Retrial in $25M Ethereum MEV Exploit
US prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have requested a retrial in late February or early March 2026 for Anton and James Peraire-Bueno, indicted on wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges stemming from a 2023 Ethereum MEV exploit that siphoned $25 million using MEV bots to manipulate transaction ordering. The first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked on fraud counts, raising questions about testimony clarity, the definition of “good faith” and reporting psychological strain. Prosecutors argue the retrial should proceed “as soon as practicable” to resolve the case before the brothers face up to 20 years per count if convicted. Traders are monitoring closely: a conviction could set a legal precedent for Ethereum MEV strategies, prompting stricter compliance requirements and technical safeguards such as proposer-builder separation to reduce future MEV exploit risks.
Neutral
Although a guilty verdict could set a legal precedent discouraging Ethereum MEV strategies, the case’s focus on individual defendants and legal technicalities is unlikely to materially affect Ethereum’s core fundamentals or network activity in the short term. Regulatory scrutiny may drive protocol-level safeguards, but these are long-term developments. Therefore, the impact on ETH market price should remain neutral, with minimal influence on trader behaviour aside from MEV-specific strategies.