$25 million MEV attack trial aborted: technical game or criminal offense?

[Block Rhythm] The New York Federal Court recently heard a rather interesting case, and the result was quite unexpected - the trial was declared directly invalid.

Here's the thing: The two brothers Anton and James Peraire-Bueno pulled off a stunt in 2023, using MEV attacks to siphon off about $25 million on the Ethereum chain in roughly 12 seconds. The prosecution insists this is fraud and money laundering, essentially playing a “bait and switch”.

But defense lawyers may not see it this way. Their claim is that this is not a crime at all; at most, it's just a “front-running” game on the chain — you know, in the blockchain world, the quick get the meat.

The case was deliberated for three whole weeks, and the jury just couldn't reach a unanimous decision. Some believed that the two brothers had indeed crossed the line, while others thought it was just a technical play. In the end, the judge took a look and decided that there was no way to rule on this case, declaring a mistrial.

To be honest, this situation reflects the awkwardness of current regulations in defining on-chain behaviors—what exactly counts as a crime and what counts as normal gaming? The boundaries are indeed hard to delineate.