New lawsuit alleges CEA Industries was an 'operational vacuum' with no CEO or CFO

YZi Labs has escalated its dispute with BNB treasury firm CEA Industries with a statement about the “explosive” lawsuit filed by investor Abraham Gomez against the firm now known as BNC and its director, Hans Thomas. 

The lawsuit alleged that the company operated in an “operational vacuum” with no executives, operations, or a functioning website when Gomez visited their offices.

The lawsuit, which was filed on February 28, reflects identical governance failures that YZi Labs attacked for months in its own battle to take control of BNC’s 515,054 BNB treasury from 10X Capital Asset Management. 

According to Alex Odagiu, an Investment Partner at YZi Labs, “When an investor visits a Nasdaq-listed enterprise and finds a ‘Potemkin village’ with no management, no operations, and not even a website, the illusion shatters. YZi Labs is no longer the sole voice demanding accountability.”

YZi Labs is now pulling the lawsuit string in a power struggle that has been raging since December 1, months after helping to bankroll the $500 million private placement that transformed CEA from a nicotine vape manufacturer into “the world’s largest corporate treasury of BNB.”

BNC office was a hollow shell with no basic infrastructure

The lawsuit alleged that after making an initial investment, Mr. Gomez visited BNC’s offices to understand the situation on the ground. Instead of finding an operational, Nasdaq-listed business, he found the company in a state of near “operational vacuum.”

At the time of the visit, BNC was allegedly operating without a CFO, CEO, operations/marketing teams, a registered domain name, or a website. Apparently, they did not have any investor relations or public relations going on either. 

Allegedly, BNC and Thomas “failed to fulfill promises after utilizing the investor’s funds, resources, and credibility to support the company’s operations.”

Finally, after more than 21 months of operating without a CFO (even after closing a $500 million PIPE on August 5t 2025), BNC finally appointed Brent Miller as the CFO on March 9, 2026. 

However, according to YZi Labs’ statement, “The recent announcement of Brent Miller’s appointment as CFO is too little too late”, stating that “It is deeply concerning that the company went more than 21 months without a formally appointed CFO.”

For a public company whose board signed a 20-year asset management agreement with 10X Capital to manage a BNB treasury worth roughly $500 million upon signing, YZi Labs is not pulling its punches in attacking the absence of basic corporate infrastructure.

How did the entire saga happen?

On February 18, YZi Labs filed a statement accusing 10X Capital and its founding partner/member of the BNC board of directors, Hans Thomas, of failing to disclose their beneficial ownership of BNC, citing a breach of sections 13(d) and 16(a) of the Exchange Act. 

YZi Labs also claimed that 10X Capital’s management was planning to abandon its BNB commitment for Solana, which was summarily denied. 

Later in February, YZi discovered evidence suggesting 10X’s ownership was more than 5%, indicating the existence of a potential shadow group. Under increasing pressure, Hans Thomas finally caved in and filed Form 3, the SEC ownership disclosure for directors, but YZi described the filing as “not a cure but an admission of a systematic breakdown in BNC’s internal controls”.

YZi calls for special committee, AMA termination

YZi Labs laid out three demands in their most recent statement for the board to address immediately. 

First, they demanded a public response detailing what corporate infrastructure actually exists at BNC, and explaining how a public company operated in such an operational vacuum. 

Second, YZi Labs demanded that BNC form an independent committee to investigate allegations that Thomas and the company used investor funds under false pretenses. 

Finally, they demanded that the 20-year asset management agreement with 10X Capital be terminated.

The fight continues to play out through weekly press releases, with each round delivering fresh allegations implying that BNC’s current board is compromised and is serving 10X Capital’s interests over those of other shareholders.

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