Blockstream Denies Epstein Ties Amid DOJ Document Release

In response to references within the newly published documents, Blockstream CEO Adam Back provided a detailed account of the company’s sole, indirect point of contact with Jeffrey Epstein. Back stated that during Blockstream’s seed fundraising in 2014, the company was introduced to Joi Ito, then director of the MIT Media Lab. Through Ito, Epstein was presented as a limited partner in Ito’s investment fund. That fund subsequently acquired a small minority stake in Blockstream.

Back emphasized that this connection was brief and terminated swiftly. The investment fund divested its stake in Blockstream within months, citing potential conflicts of interest and other concerns. Crucially, Back asserted that Blockstream never received capital directly from Jeffrey Epstein and has had no direct or indirect financial ties to him or his estate since that short-lived period. The clarification aims to distance the core Bitcoin development company from the ongoing scandal as the DOJ continues its document disclosure.

The U.S. Department of Justice released a new batch of documents on January 30 as part of a larger disclosure mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The files include 2014 emails in which Blockstream co-founder Austin Hill discussed the company’s oversubscribed seed round with both Joi Ito and Jeffrey Epstein. The correspondence also contains travel booking references to St. Thomas, an island near Epstein’s private compound.

The DOJ has noted that inclusion in these records does not, on its own, indicate wrongdoing, and no allegations have been made against Blockstream or its executives. However, the mere association has drawn significant scrutiny. The disclosures have ignited broader discussions about moral responsibility within elite financial and technological circles. Swissblock’s Head Macro Economist Henrik Zeberg publicly argued that anyone who visited Epstein’s private island after his 2008 conviction bears moral responsibility, stating that high-profile individuals have an even greater duty to “act morally correct.”

Beyond the Blockstream references, the unsealed documents reveal Jeffrey Epstein’s active interest in the cryptocurrency sector. They detail private discussions in which Epstein analyzed Bitcoin’s role and offered criticism of specific blockchain projects, namely Ripple (XRP) and Stellar (XLM). The files also indicate he later attempted to pitch new digital currency concepts.

The documents name several other prominent individuals from finance and technology. These include Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve governor once considered by President Trump for Fed chair. A separate batch of records released on January 31 contained a 2010 email from publicist Peggy Siegal that mentioned Michael Saylor, co-founder of MicroStrategy and a major Bitcoin advocate. The email stated Saylor donated $25,000 to a charity event, which facilitated invitations to exclusive social events, and included unflattering personal descriptions of him. These inclusions highlight how the DOJ’s document release continues to connect high-profile names across industries to the periphery of the Epstein network, prompting questions about the intersections of wealth, influence, and accountability.