The widow of country music legend George Jones has accused her former partner of stealing millions of dollars in cryptocurrency and cash. Nancy Jones said that 58-year-old Kirk West took $400 thousand in cash and Ledger crypto wallet containing more than 5.5 million XRP tokens from two safes in her home.
At the time of the theft, XRP was worth approximately $11.6 million. As of July 28, its value had risen to $18 million.
West was the only person other than Nancy Jones who had the private key needed to operate the Ledger wallet. Nancy was later able to regain access to about 5,051,102 XRP.
Police reported that West was arrested at Nashville International Airport on July 24 – 24 hours after the investigation began — and charged with theft in excess of $250 thousand. The suspect is due to appear in court on October 23.
Nancy Jones, 65, met West in 2013 shortly after her husband’s death. West was looking for real estate. Over time, the couple began an affair and West moved in with Jones’ widow. Court documents show that the woman took over the financial side of things, from household expenses to a Mercedes-Benz for West.
West’s legal history turned out to be very suspicious. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to bank fraud after forging documents and defrauding Reliant Bank. Jones paid his legal fees and even his restitution obligation of $935,045.04 — which he allegedly promised to pay back but never did.
During his house arrest, West became a self-proclaimed cryptocurrency expert and convinced Nancy Jones to invest in coins such as XRP, DOGE, SHIB, ETH, and XLM. Court charges allege that West used the woman’s trust and financial support to steal XRP.
Source: WKRN
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