Fortune | FORTUNE 07月22日 22:35
FBI drops probe of Kraken founder, returns dozens of seized devices
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Kraken创始人Jesse Powell住所曾遭联邦探员搜查,但此案与加密货币业务无关,而是源于其创办的艺术非营利组织内部的管理纠纷。近期,美国司法部已终止调查,并归还了扣押的电子设备。然而,此次搜查的缘由以及信息泄露给《纽约时报》的内情仍有待厘清。Powell表示,此次搜查对其个人和事业造成了严重打击,他将继续就诽谤案起诉Verge艺术中心董事会成员,并认为搜查是基于对方的无端指控。新文件显示,Verge董事会成员在案件审理过程中涉嫌隐匿关键文件,其中一名董事会成员兼Verge律师Phil Cunningham拒绝置评。Powell的律师表示,已收到司法部关闭调查的“撤销信”,旨在弥补此次事件对Powell及其公司Kraken声誉和业务的影响。司法部则对调查的泄露情况三缄其口。Powell曾为Verge提供大量技术和资金支持,该组织目前仍是萨克拉门托艺术界的重要组成部分,但诉讼仍在进行中。

🔍 Kraken创始人Jesse Powell住所遭联邦搜查,但调查并非针对其加密货币业务,而是由其创办的艺术非营利组织Verge内部的管理纠纷引起,涉及Slack和Google账户访问权限的争议。

⚖️ 美国司法部已正式终止对Powell的调查,并归还了此前扣押的Powell住所内的电子设备。Powell的律师表示,已收到关闭调查的“撤销信”,此举旨在修复因搜查事件对Powell及Kraken公司造成的损害。

🏛️ Powell在诉讼中指控Verge董事会成员串谋将其从董事会移除,并在过程中悄悄更换了域名和工作账户。他还声称,部分董事会成员,包括律师Phil Cunningham,在案件审理期间未能按要求提供关键文件。

📣 Powell对调查的结束表示欣慰,并强调搜查是基于Verge艺术中心的“无端指控”,他坚信自己没有做错任何事,并计划继续进行针对Verge董事会的诽谤诉讼。

📰 此次搜查的动机以及调查信息如何泄露给《纽约时报》等问题,依然是公众关注的焦点,司法部对此拒绝发表评论。

When federal agents raided the home of Kraken founder Jesse Powell two years ago, the Justice Department was in the midst of a sweeping legal campaign against the cryptocurrency industry. The raid, however, had nothing to do with how Powell operated his crypto exchange but instead stemmed from a management dispute with an arts non-profit he had founded. The Justice Department has now dropped the investigation and returned dozens of laptops and cellphones it seized from Powell’s home—but questions remain about why the agency pursued him so aggressively, and how news of the raid leaked to reporters at the New York Times.

Powell is a well known figure in the crypto industry. Along with building Kraken, an early cryptocurrency exchange that is on its way to go public, Powell is known for his outspoken political views that he frequently shares on social media. In 2022, the New York Times published an unflattering profile, highlighting Powell’s comments to Kraken staff that challenged progressive orthodoxy on topics like pronouns and gender.

The following year, the Times broke the news of how the FBI had searched Powell’s house as part of an investigation into allegations the Kraken founder had “hacked and cyber-stalked a nonprofit that he founded.”

Despite the dramatic description, the facts turned out to be more banal. Documents in a civil case filed by Powell against the non-profit, known as Verge, indicate the dispute turned on access to Slack and Google accounts.

In the lawsuit, filed last year in state court, Powell says that he did not hack or stalk anyone, or cut off access to the accounts. Instead, he alleges that Verge executives conspired to remove him from the board, and that they quietly put in place a new domain name and created new workplace accounts before doing so. Powell founded Verge in 2008 to support the arts in Sacramento, where he lived for many years.

Now, new documents filed by Powell this week reveal that the Justice Department has dropped the investigation entirely, and returned his cell phones and laptops. The filings add that the returned devices contain information related to Verge that prove Powell’s account of events is correct.

In an email statement to Fortune, Powell expressed relief that the probe has ended and said he intends to continue his civil lawsuit against members of Verge’s board.

“The FBI’s raid on my house was devastating both personally and professionally.  It is still shocking that the raid was premised on Verge Center for the Arts baseless accusations against me.  I knew that I had done nothing wrong, and discovery in my defamation case against Verge has shown this is undeniable,” said Powell.

In the recent court filing, Powell also alleges that the two Verge board members who sought to remove him failed to turn over key documents during the discovery process. This is a serious allegation, especially concerning one of the board members, Phil Cunningham, who also serves as a lawyer for Verge.

In response to an email about Powell’s allegations, Cunningham declined to comment.

Following the conclusion of the Justice Department investigation, Powell’s attorney, Brandon Fox, received a so-called “declination letter” saying the probe had been closed. Fox says he sought the letter as a means to offset the damage caused to Powell, and to Kraken’s ability to operate in the highly regulated financial industry.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the letter, or on whether the agency was aware of how details of its investigation leaked to the New York Times in the first place.

As for Verge, which Powell has backed over the years with tech support and over $1 million in personal donations, it continues to be a fixture of the arts scene in Sacramento, despite the ongoing litigation.

Powell did not comment on whether he recovered Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies stored on the devices. At the time the Justice Department seized the devices, Bitcoin was worth around $23,000; today, the price is closer to $120,000.

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Kraken Jesse Powell Verge艺术中心 司法调查 加密货币
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