- Georgia authorities arrested Armstrong on harassment charges in late June.
- He had been jailed earlier this year for emails sent to a Georgia judge.
- Kevin O'Leary's defamation lawsuit against Armstrong remains ongoing.
Ben Armstrong, the controversial cryptocurrency influencer known as “BitBoy,” was arrested in Cherokee County, Georgia, late last month on six counts of harassing phone calls, according to public jail records.
He was booked into the county jail on June 27 and released the following day after posting bond.
A new mugshot, released by the Georgia Gazette, shows Armstrong appearing significantly more dishevelled than in prior arrests.
Armstrong has not made a public statement on the arrest, and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office has not released further details about the alleged calls.
Public communication from Armstrong has grown sparse. The most recent post from his X account, dated June 7, appears to have been made by a third party asking followers to include positive messages in letters to Armstrong while he was in custody in a separate matter.
When a user replied, “He still in jail?” the account responded: “Indeed.”
Public downfall
Armstrong’s arrest last month is the latest in a long string of run-ins with the law.
In March, he was arrested in Florida on a fugitive warrant issued by Georgia authorities. The case stemmed from emails he allegedly sent to Cobb County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Childs, whom he was opposing in a separate defamation proceeding.
Armstrong, who was representing himself at the time, later confirmed on X that the arrest was related to those communications.
He is also the target of a defamation lawsuit filed by Kevin O’Leary, a “Shark Tank” investor. The suit accuses Armstrong of spreading false and malicious claims about O’Leary, including calling him “a real-life murderer” in connection with a 2019 boating accident that left two people dead.
O’Leary, who was never charged, is seeking damages in excess of $75,000.
The case remains active in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where O’Leary recently filed a motion for default judgment.
Much of Armstrong’s recent legal and personal troubles can be traced back to his removal from HIT Network, the crypto media company he helped build.
In September 2023, the company announced it had cut ties with Armstrong due to alleged substance abuse, financial misconduct, and erratic behaviour.
Days after being ousted, Armstrong live streamed himself attempting to reclaim a Lamborghini from former business partner Carlos Diaz, whom he accused of theft.
In the since-deleted video, Armstrong said he had a firearm in the vehicle and revealed that the woman with him was someone with whom he’d previously had an affair. He was arrested during the live stream and charged with loitering.
Crypto market movers
- Bitcoin has gained 2.4% in value in the past 24 hours and is trading at $111,360.
- Ethereum is up 6.8% in the same period to $2,810.
What we’re reading
- Pump.fun aims to sell $1bn worth of tokens in ICO — DL News
- BitMine Crashes 39% After It Files to Raise $2 Billion for More ETH — Unchained
- Tariffs: Should we still be worried? — Milk Road
- BNY Mellon will have custody of Ripple’s new stablecoin as institutional interest in crypto swells — CNBC
- GMX offers hacker 10% white hat bounty after $42 million exploit — DL News
Kyle Baird is DL News’ Weekend Editor. Got a tip? Email atkbaird@dlnews.com.