The crypto group claiming responsibility for WNBA sex toy stunts
By Frances Howe
A second man has been arrested for throwing a sex toy onto the court of a women’s basketball game in the US, becoming the second charged with a criminal offence after six incidents now claimed by a group selling a form of cryptocurrency.
First reported by The Athletic, the group are trying to boost the value of a meme coin called “Green Dildo Coin” by generating virality online. The group have targeted five WNBA games since July 29, and in that time the currency’s value had risen to $USD0.001.
A meme coin is a form of cryptocurrency that originates from an internet meme, joke or viral moment. Their value is often fleeting and based on internet trends.
On July 29, the group planned the first stunt to occur during a game in Atlanta between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries. The group had purchased tickets and incentivised the thrower with an additional $500 if the toy landed upright on the court.
While they watched the game, they recorded a seven-hour audio stream on X. Most participants on the stream were inside the US, but at least one was in Australia, according to audio broadcast during the stream.
The sex toy was thrown onto the court in the last minute of the game while the group members recited the game’s commentary and waited for reactions to roll in online.
A group selling cryptocurrency have claimed they are behind several incidents of sex toys being thrown onto the court of WNBA games.Credit: Twitter
Two days later, 23-year-old Delbert Carver was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, public indecency and criminal trespass for throwing the toy at the Atlanta game.
Across seven days, the group coordinated six stunts across five different cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. All the while, they broadcast audio streams on X, communicated on the encrypted messaging app Telegram and directed people to buy their cryptocurrency or other merchandise on their website.
On Friday, a second man was arrested for throwing a sex toy, which landed near a nine-year-old child, during a game between the Phoenix Mercury and Connecticut Sun. Kaden Lopez, 18, was tackled by security and later detained on suspicion of disorderly conduct, assault and public display of explicit sexual material.
The group’s ringleader, who goes by the alias Lt. Aldo Raine, told USA Today that they did not target women’s sport because they dislike it: “We didn’t do this because, like, we dislike women’s sports or, like, some of the narratives that are trending right now are ridiculous,” but in an interview with Clay Travis on OutKick, he said they’d targeted the WNBA because it was “being forced down our throats”.
After the first game, the cryptocurrency group discussed other events they could target, including other women’s sports. One member said, “What about other women’s sports, is there like pro soccer and stuff in the states?”
Another replied, “In Europe, bro, they’re trying to push pro women’s soccer so hard, they’re trying to push that shit and people just don’t care.”
On Friday (AEST), Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said action needed to be taken against the perpetrators.
“This has been going on for centuries, the sexualisation of women. This is the latest version of that, and it is not funny,” she said.
The group also discussed throwing toys at a Lady Gaga concert in Seattle on August 6, the Weeknd in Houston on August 30, and the US Open tennis tournament. A sex toy of the same colour was also visible behind the catcher in a baseball game between the Houston Astros and the Miami Marlins on Thursday.