In March of this year, the FBI conducted a search of the home of Jesse Powell, a 42-year-old cryptocurrency mogul and leader of the now-prosperous Kraken exchange firm. The criminal investigation implicated Powell in allegations of cyber-stalking and hacking against Verge Center for the Arts, a non-profit which he had founded in Sacramento, California back in the year 2008. Computers and other electronic devices were seized during the conduct of the search; however, no charges had so-far been endorsed on the business-magnate. The suspected issues became public shortly after Powell’s board-membership at Verge Center for the Arts was terminated in 2022; it was during this time he is believed to have attempted to spur a “culture war” by using derogatory statements related to race, gender and other things at the Kraken offices. Alledgedly, Powell then blocked the staff from accessing the Verge digital communciation database and utilized confidential data from their purported accounts. A spokeswoman at Kraken expressed that neither the firm nor Powell was under investigation for any irregularities succoured to cryptocurrency, and personally, Powell’s lawyers affirmed accordingly that the investigation which had been regulated, was void of attachement towards his engagement in cryptocurrency related activities. Today, the exchange is considered the second online-largest and most successful in the world of cryptocurrency, after topping its compeition following the failure of FTX after allegations were brought against its lone owner Mr. Sam Bankman-Fried in December of 2022.
