Previous Ethereum advisor sues law firm for $100M in crypto theft case
Steven Neraoff, an early advisor to the Ethereum network, said in 2016: Law firm Covington & Burling is suing for $100 million to defend the 2019 U.S. embezzlement lawsuit.
Nerayoff said in a lawsuit filed Sept. 6 in New York County Supreme Court that Covington attorney Alan Vinegrad advised him not to turn over videos and emails and other communications to U.S. prosecutors from “negotiations with alleged victims.” He showed that his actions were “entirely authorized”.
On September 18, 2019, Nerayoff and his associate Michael Hlady of blockchain consulting firm Alchemist were arrested and accused by prosecutors of embezzling funds from a cryptocurrency startup.
Nerayoff said he turned over the videos and other evidence to prosecutors in June 2022. The suit was dismissed less than a year later in May 2023.
In the lawsuit, Nerayoff said Covington's attorneys “could have presented the prosecution with clear evidence in late 2019 that could have been dismissed entirely.”
A spokesperson for Covington denied the allegations, telling Cointelegraph: “The allegations are without merit, and we will defend them vigorously.”
Nerayoff's legal complaint says Covington recused himself from representing him after he was indicted on January 10, 2020, and spent the next three years and more than $1 million in legal fees.
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Nerayoff's current attorney, Romeo Salta, is seeking at least $100 million in the lawsuit.
Nerayoff filed several other lawsuits this year. In April, he filed a $9.6 billion lawsuit against the government over alleged fraudulent surveillance and exploitation.
In the year On July 22, Tyler Fayard, known as “Boring Sleuth” on social media, filed a $10 million defamation suit for defamation online.
Source: Steven Nerayoff
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