- Ken Kurson was arrested for harassment of ex-wife’s associates.
- Kurson was previously the editor in chief of the New York Observer and assisted Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016.
- Latest in a series of controversies for Ripple Labs
Ken Kurson, a prominent member of Ripple Labs’ board of directors, has been arrested by Federal authorities on charges of Cyberstalking.
Kurson – a key architect in Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential Campaign – is primarily known for his work as the Chief Editor of the New York Observer from 2013 to 2017. In the crypto community, he is famous for founding the Cryptocurrency news site, Modern Consensus.
In 2017, his work for Modern Consensus earned him a position on Ripples’ board of directors. The company cited his “unique” analytical abilities and market experience as the reason for offering him such a prestigious job. That position is now in jeopardy as a result of his alleged crime.
Today, a report by the New York Times revealed that Kurson is accused of threatening three of his ex-wife’s associates and harassment of two others. He allegedly holds the victims accountable for his recent divorce. At least one of Kurson’s alleged victims considered him a friend. It is further alleged that Kurson used several aliases in an attempt to conceal his campaign of harassment.
The FBI – who made the arrest – also have evidence which suggests that Kurson used Keylogging software on at least one of his victims’ computers.
A bad look for Ripple
Kurson’s arrest is terrible news for Ripple Labs. The company has frequently courted controversy since 2015. High profile cases include FinCEN’s decision to fine the company 700,000 dollars in May of 2015 for violation of the Bank Secrecy Act. The company also faced a lawsuit last year alleging illegal trading of its proprietary cryptocurrency, XRP.
Ripple Labs have not yet released a statement regarding Mister Kurson’s arrest. Given that the arrest happened on the 24th of October, it seems unlikely that they will. Either way, this latest controversy is liable to damage investor confidence in Ripple Labs and further damage the company’s image.
