Man accused of stealing $11 million worth of XRP countersues American country music singer George Jones's widow

PA News January 14th - According to Decrypt, Kirk West, who is suspected of stealing over $11 million worth of XRP from the estate of the late American country singer George Jones’s widow Nancy Jones, has filed a countersuit. West claims that he accumulated wealth through investments in cryptocurrencies and other assets during their relationship, and therefore has the right to a share of the assets. Last year, West was arrested for allegedly stealing $400,000 in cash and over 5.5 million XRP (worth $11.6 million at the time) from Nancy Jones. Court documents reveal that the two met and fell in love after George Jones’s death in 2013. West, who describes himself as a “cryptocurrency expert,” persuaded Nancy to invest in various cryptocurrencies including XRP, Ethereum, and Dogecoin. Last year, Nancy, suspecting West of infidelity, evicted him from her residence, and subsequently discovered that her Ledger hardware wallet storing her crypto assets was missing from her safe. Although lawyers helped recover over 5 million XRP, 483,000 XRP (currently worth over $1 million) remain unaccounted for. In his countersuit, West denies the theft allegations and claims that he created wealth for both parties through “multiple wise investments.” He requests to be awarded half of the cryptocurrencies, cash, and gold and silver assets held by both parties when he left Nancy’s residence last year. According to Rolling Stone, the related assets also include gold and silver valued at $5 million and $1 million in cash. Currently, Williamson County court records show that there has been no update on the case since it was filed with a private subpoena last October until West filed the countersuit this Friday.