"Documents published last week by the US Department of Justice reveal Epstein bankrolled the principal home and funding source for bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency, during its nascent stages; he also invested $3m in Coinbase in 2014, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, and cut a check that same year to Blockstream, a prominent bitcoin-focused technology firm. Both crypto startups accepted Epstein's investments in 2014 six years after his 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor."
"The crypto companies that secured Epstein's investment have grown into multibillion-dollar giants, especially Coinbase, which went public on the Nasdaq in 2021, and whose co-founder, Brian Armstrong, has heavily influenced crypto regulation in the United States. Epstein's 2014 investment in Coinbase was brokered by the crypto evangelist Brock Pierce, a former child actor and a co-founder of Tether, the world's largest issuer of stablecoins, a kind of cryptocurrency whose value is typically pegged to a national currency."
Files reveal Jeffrey Epstein bankrolled the principal home and early funding for bitcoin, invested $3m in Coinbase in 2014, and paid Blockstream that same year. Both startups accepted Epstein's 2014 investments six years after his 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Most industry players predict few consequences for crypto companies, though some community members call for a sector-level reckoning. Some characterize Epstein as a skeptical investor who exited early; others allege he sought to undermine bitcoin. Epstein's Coinbase investment was brokered by Brock Pierce; Fred Ehrsam coordinated with Pierce and Epstein later sold half his Coinbase shares to Blockchain Capital for $15m in 2018.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]