A public clash has erupted between TRON founder Justin Sun and OKX CEO Star Xu over an alleged law enforcement freeze request concerning stolen funds. The dispute, unfolding on social media, has sparked debate within the crypto community about compliance protocols and transparency at centralized exchanges.
The controversy began when Justin Sun posted on X (formerly Twitter), stating that a “relevant law enforcement agency” had submitted a freeze notice to OKX’s official email in relation to a stolen funds case. He claimed the exchange failed to respond and asserted that he had no direct means of contacting the OKX compliance team.
In response, OKX CEO Star Xu challenged Sun’s claim, saying their Law Enforcement (LE) cooperation team reviewed all incoming messages including spam folders and found no such request. Xu publicly requested that Sun provide a screenshot proving the time and details of the enforcement communication.
“Dear Mr. H.E. Justin Sun, our LE cooperation team just checked the email including spam box, we haven’t received any request related with this case. Can you give us the screenshot to show when the enforcement agency send the request to us?” Xu posted on X, quoting Sun’s original tweet.
Xu also clarified OKX’s established procedures for handling law enforcement requests. According to him, the exchange has a publicly accessible LE cooperation policy that outlines how third parties can submit preliminary evidence through reporting channels. A temporary freeze can be enacted if the evidence meets threshold standards, followed by legally binding documents from authorities to maintain the freeze.
“OKX has public LE cooperation policy… We will do a temporary urgent freeze according to the evidence. Then you should work with LE agents to offer us legal documents to continue the freeze,” he added.
Star Xu stood firm against Sun’s public appeal, emphasizing that OKX cannot take action based on a social media post or verbal instructions. He cited consumer protection regulations, explaining that freezing customer funds requires legal justification.
Notably, Sun later deleted his original tweet, though screenshots remain widely circulated online.
The incident has reignited concerns over centralized exchanges’ accountability and their relationship with public figures. As the crypto market matures, industry participants continue to grapple with how transparency, due process, and reputation management intersect in high-profile disputes.
