FBI Investigate Kraken Crypto Exchange Boss, Jesse Powell's Electronics Confiscated

Kraken crypto exchange founder Jesse Powell. (Photo; Doc. Bitcoin Ethereum News)

JAKARTA - Jesse Powell, founder of Kraken, one of the leading cryptocurrency trading platforms, is currently the center of investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over allegations of cyber stalking. Based on a report from the New York Times citing a source familiar with the matter, Jesse Powell's home in Brentwood was ambushed by the FBI in early March after being accused of stalking a non-profit organization called the Verge Center for the Arts.

The allegations stemmed from claims filed by the Verge Center for the Arts, alleging that Powell had unauthorized access to their computer systems and blocked communication channels by blocking access to emails and other important messages. The FBI, along with the US Prosecutor's Office for the Northern District of California, has been actively investigating the case for several months.

Jesse Powell is also one of the founders of the Verge Center for the Arts, but he was expelled from the foundation's board after conveying his controversial views. Powell, who remains a member of Kraken's board of directors after resigning as CEO in September last year, filed a lawsuit against the art center, claiming that his dismissal was unfair.

During a search at Jesse Powell's residence in the prestigious Brentwood area in Los Angeles, FBI agents confiscated several electronic devices belonging to the founder of Kraken, the source told the New York Times. However, it should be noted that currently no official charges have been filed against Powell over allegations of cyber stalking.

Brandon Fox, the attorney representing Jesse Powell, admits that his client is being investigated by a federal prosecutor in California's Northern District. However, Fox insists that the investigation is limited to allegations filed by the Verge Center for the Arts and has nothing to do with Powell's professional activities in the cryptocurrency industry.

The lawyer firmly stated that Powell was not involved in any wrongdoing. He also stressed that the art center provided incomplete information to authorities and stated that if given a complete story, the authorities would declare Powell not guilty.

"Believe it or not, we have reason to believe that Verge is providing incomplete reports to governments that will not prove any wrongdoing," Fox said.

Jesse Powell is not the only prominent figure in the cryptocurrency industry to be the subject of an investigation by federal authorities. A few months ago, the FBI conducted a search of Ryan Salame's residence in Potomac, Maryland.

Salame, who previously served as CEO of an FTX subsidiary in the Bahamas, was investigated for a 32 billion dollar exchange failure, FTX. Although details of the search were not disclosed, there has been speculation that this investigation is linked to Salame's possible involvement in the exchange's failure.

Kraken Responds

A Kraken spokesperson responded to this report by confirming that the investigation into Verge had nothing to do with the company's operations or activities. He also stated that there was no indication that the current investigation involved other issues unrelated to Verge's case.

Although this latest investigation is not related to Kraken, the company and Jesse Powell themselves have faced prior legal scrutiny. Recently, there have been lawsuits filed against Kraken in 2019 that state that the company generates revenue from accounts originating from US-criminalized countries. The lawsuit also alleges that Kraken lost millions of dollars in customer deposits.