Newly unveiled documents associated with Jeffrey Epstein have brought to light an email from March 2019 that underscores a significant controversy involving Coinbase and its acquisition of Neutrino, a blockchain analytics firm. The message, dated March 12, 2019, originated from Richard Kahn, a finance consultant based in New York, who frequently appears in these files as a conduit for news and insights. The email specifically cites remarks attributed to Kraken”s CEO and intriguingly mentions Ripple”s XRP alongside Neutrino.
The timing of Kahn”s email coincides with a broader backlash against Coinbase that erupted following its acquisition of Neutrino at the end of February 2019. The founders of Neutrino had previously been associated with Hacking Team, a firm notorious for its surveillance software and allegations of facilitating human rights violations. This acquisition ignited fierce criticism across the cryptocurrency community, leading to accusations that Coinbase had betrayed user trust. This discontent gave rise to the #DeleteCoinbase campaign and calls for boycotts of the exchange.
During this tumultuous period, Jesse Powell, the CEO of Kraken, openly lambasted the acquisition, asserting that Neutrino would not have cleared Kraken”s internal ethics assessment. In response to the mounting pressure, Coinbase later announced that employees linked to Hacking Team would be departing from Neutrino.
The controversy surrounding this acquisition unfolded at a particularly delicate moment for Coinbase, as it had only recently listed XRP for trading. This development intensified the scrutiny on Coinbase”s governance practices, its listing standards, and its overall influence in the cryptocurrency markets.
Speculative discussions at that time frequently drew connections among Coinbase”s XRP listing, Neutrino”s controversial history, and wider concerns related to privacy, surveillance, and regulation, even in cases where direct links remained unverified.
The email from Kahn is just one among several references to cryptocurrency in the newly released Epstein files. Other documents indicate that Epstein was engaged in discussions surrounding Bitcoin, including its identity, with notable figures such as Peter Thiel, as well as his investments in early Bitcoin infrastructure companies like Blockstream. Epstein”s records suggest a keen interest in the cryptocurrency landscape, especially at the intersection of finance, regulation, and elite networks, despite investigators finding no links between cryptocurrency and his illicit activities.
