Crypto community influencer and Youtuber Ben “BitBoy” Armstrong has been referred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after refusing to appear for a court hearing surrounding his promotion of FTX.
Armstrong gloated about his decision to skip the Florida court session, posting a picture of himself online on a beach saying he “don’t give af.”
- BitBoy released his tweet on Thursday at 10 am ET – precisely when the hearing was scheduled to begin.
- He released another tweet mocking the plaintiff in the case, Adam Moskowitz, who accused BitBoy of launching a harassment campaign against him.
- Moskowitz serves as a lawyer representing plaintiffs in a lawsuit against multiple Youtubers that promoted failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX – one of which includes BitBoy. Other accused influencers included Kevin Paffrath, Brian Jung, Graham Stephan Tom Nash, and Erika Kullberg.
- Following the charges, Bitboy levied a torrent of angry messages toward Moskowitz over Twitter, sharing emails he sent to the lawyer calling him a “pussy” and a “bitch.”
- Moskowitz contacted his local police and the FBI about BitBoy earlier this month, saying he felt “threatened” by what he or his followers might do to him.
- Multiple reports state that Judge Melissa Damian was furious about Armstrong’s absence. The influencer’s attorney Jason Rindenau said BitBoy could appear before the court in May while he attends the Miami Bitcoin conference.
- In response, Damian said she would issue a warrant for Armstrong’s arrest if he doesn’t appear before Monday. She also said she’d report his conduct to the FBI, and ordered him to stop communicating publicly about Moskowitz – an order he has violated already.
- “It’s weird people don’t realize I have real lawyers who actually know how to practice law unlike the ambulance chasing Adam Moskowitz,” said BitBoy on Thursday. “I’m not flying by the seat of my pants out here.”
- BitBoy himself filed a defamation suit last year against fellow Youtuber Erling Mengshoel Jr (aka “Atozy”), but later dropped the charges following major public backlash.