Blockstream’s Adam Back Talks Epstein Links as DOJ Releases New Files

After the DOJ’s January disclosure, Swiss economist Henrik Zeberg said that anyone visiting Epstein’s island after 2008 has a broken moral compass.

Blockstream CEO Adam Back responded to the renewed attention on the company after recently declassified Jeffrey Epstein documents emerged as part of a US Department of Justice disclosure.

In a public clarification, Back said Blockstream has no ongoing or historical financial relationship with a convicted rapist.

Blockstream Says No Obligations for Epstein

Back asserted that any contact occurred briefly during the company’s seed round in 2014 and ended shortly thereafter. He explained that Blockstream was introduced to Joi Ito, then director of the MIT Media Lab, during their first investor show. Through Ito, the firm met Epstein, who was introduced at the time as a limited partner in Ito’s investment fund.

That fund later acquired a small stake in Blockstream but pulled out within months, citing potential conflicts of interest and other concerns. He later said Blockstream never received capital directly from Epstein and had no direct or indirect ties to him or his assets since then.

The statement comes as the DOJ continues to release millions of pages of material related to Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The new collection was released on January 30. The documents name several prominent people from technology, finance, and politics, although the DOJ noted that the inclusion in the records does not, in itself, indicate wrongdoing.

Among the recently unsealed items are emails from 2014 in which Blockstream founder Austin Hill discussed the company’s oversubscribed round with Ito and Epstein, and a travel booking letter referencing St. Thomas, an island near Epstein’s private property. So far, no allegations have been made against Blockstream or its executives, but those references have drawn scrutiny.

Interest in Bitcoin and Elite Circles

The disclosure also revealed Epstein’s interest in cryptocurrency, including secret discussions about the role of Bitcoin and criticism of blockchain projects such as Ripple and Stellar, as well as recent efforts to introduce new digital currency concepts. Other prominent industry figures, including Trump’s pick for Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh, are also mentioned in the filings.

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Meanwhile, new Epstein-related records published by the DOJ on January 31 include a 2010 email from American entertainer Peggy Siegal, Strategy founder Michael Saylor said. The email said Saylor donated $25,000 to a charity event, which helped her get invitations to special social events. Siegal described him as difficult to talk to, socially awkward, “a total scumbag”, and “kind of like a zombie on drugs.”

Swissblock economist Henrik Zeberg said anyone who visited Epstein’s private island after his conviction in 2008 had a moral responsibility. Zeberg tweeted,

“I don’t care if you’re a Politician or which Political Party you belong to. I don’t care if you’re the CEO of a FAANG company. I don’t care if you’re a Billionaire. I don’t care if you’re Royal – or a former President of the United States. In fact, if you’re one of the above, you have an even greater responsibility to behave appropriately.”