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

Following the DOJ’s January revelations, Swissblock economist Henrik Zeberg said anyone visiting Epstein’s island after 2008 has a moral compass that is broken.

Blockstream CEO Adam Back responded to renewed attention surrounding the company after newly unsealed Jeffrey Epstein documents emerged as part of a major exposé from the US Department of Justice.

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

Blockstream says no ties to Epstein

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

That fund later acquired a small minority stake in Blockstream, but was divested within months, citing potential conflicts of interest and other concerns. Back said Blockstream never received capital directly from Epstein and has had no direct or indirect ties to him or his estate since.

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

Among the newly released material are emails from 2014 in which Blockstream co-founder Austin Hill discussed the company’s oversubscribed seed round with Ito and Epstein, as well as travel booking correspondence referencing St. Thomas, an island near Epstein’s private complex. So far, no accusations have been made against Blockstream or its executives, but these references are drawn strict supervision.

Interested in Bitcoin and Elite Circles

The revelations also revealed Epstein’s interest in cryptocurrency, including private discussions about the role of Bitcoin and criticism of blockchain projects such as Ripple and Stellar, in addition to later attempts to pitch new digital currency concepts. Other prominent industry figures, including Trump’s pick for Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, are also named in the filings.

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Meanwhile, new Epstein-related documents published by the DOJ on January 31 include a 2010 email from American entertainment publicist Peggy Siegal that surfaced: to report Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor. The email stated that Saylor had donated $25,000 to a charity event, which resulted in him receiving invitations to exclusive social events. Siegal described him as difficult to talk to, socially awkward, a “complete creep” and “kind of like a zombie on a drug.”

Henrik Zeberg, chief macroeconomist at Swissblock said that anyone who visited Epstein’s private island after his 2008 conviction bears moral responsibility. Zeberg tweeted:

“I don’t care if you are a politician or what political party you belong to. I don’t care if you are the CEO of a FAANG company. I don’t care if you are a billionaire. I don’t care if you are a Royal – or a former US President. In fact, if you are any of the above, you have an even greater responsibility to act morally right.”