DWF Labs Fires Partner Amid Sexual Harassment, Drugging Allegations – Decrypt

DWF Labs today dismissed one of its partners shortly after a woman posted allegations on X (formerly known as Twitter) that a partner at the firm attempted to drug her. While the company did not name the individual, founding partner Eugene Ng has since been removed from the firm’s team page.

Hana, a prospective female job applicant at DWF Labs, alleged Tuesday that a DWF Labs partner slipped a date-rape drug into her drink during a work-related meetup at a bar in Hong Kong on October 24, according to the woman’s X post. 

“We are aware of the recent and deeply concerning allegations involving one of our partners, who has been accused of inappropriate and unacceptable behavior,” DWF Labs said Tuesday in a statement, adding that it would investigate the matter. “[We have] decided to dismiss the said partner from management and operational roles effective immediately.”

The company did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment. Ng appears to have made his X account private. OpenEden, another crypto firm co-founded by Ng, also stated today that it had suspended a member of its team and removed the “person from the management and operations of the company and its affiliates.”

In an interview with Decrypt, Hana said she met with the DWF Labs partner twice to discuss a potential job opportunity at the company. (She asked that we avoid using her full name to protect her privacy.)

But during their second meeting at a Hong Kong bar, the partner allegedly spiked Hana’s drink. The alleged drugging happened shortly after she had left the pair’s table to use the restroom, Hana told Decrypt. 

Hana said she returned from the restroom and tasted her cocktail, which was left on the table when she went to the bathroom. She soon began to feel unwell. 

Shortly after she took a sip of the drink, the partner left the table where he and Hana were chatting, she said. That’s when the establishment’s staff allegedly informed Hana that a customer who was seated next to her table had spotted the man pouring an unidentified drug into her cocktail while she was in the restroom. The staff checked the CCTV and confirmed that the man had poured something into one of the drinks at his table, Hana said. 

Hana told Decrypt she was alarmed by the staff’s warning and accepted their offer for a new, drug-free drink. When the partner returned to the table, he began pressuring Hana to finish her drink, she told Decrypt. She pretended as if she hadn’t switched drinks or been informed of the alleged drugging attempt. 

“I was like, ‘Oh, do you want to try my drink because you did the same thing [the first time we] were having the first drinks,” Hana told Decrypt. “He was like, you finish yours and I’ll finish mine… He pushed me so much.” 

Hana said she noticed some other strange things during her interactions with the partner, which began when the pair met at Korean Blockchain Week earlier this fall. He spoke of his personal life, including his marriage and sex-related matters, which left Hana feeling uncomfortable, she said. But it was when Hana allegedly learned that she had almost been drugged that she realized she needed to speak up about the interaction. 

“Ever since I’ve been in crypto trying to find a suitable job I have come across some strange men,” Hana said. “I have stories to tell. Like [those incidents] are so disgusting, but this is a crime.” 

“I want to let every girl know about every detail about this,” she added. 

A police report has been filed in Hong Kong’s central policing district, she says, though Decrypt has not yet obtained a copy.

Hana said the partner sent her messages in a private chat on Telegram, in addition to calling her at least three times after she posted about her alleged interaction with him on X. A so-called key opinion leader (another term for a social media influencer), who is purportedly a friend of the DWF Labs partner, also contacted Hana on Tuesday, attempting to sway her to take down the post, she told Decrypt.

She has also been in contact with DWF Labs’ team, who asked if there was “some other way to solve the problem,” she said.

Editor’s note: This article was updated after publication to include additional details and comments from Hana.