Solana (SOL) Co-Founder Stephen Akridge Accused of Misappropriating Ex-Wife's Crypto Holdings

A co-founder of Ethereum (ETH) rival Solana (SOL) is reportedly facing a lawsuit for allegedly misappropriating the income earned from his former wife's

A co-founder of Ethereum (ETH) competitor Solana (SOL) is now facing a lawsuit for allegedly misappropriating the revenue generated from his ex-wife's crypto holdings.

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Elisa Rossi has filed a complaint with the San Francisco Superior Court, accusing her former husband Stephen Akridge of stealing millions of dollars in staking rewards earned from her Solana tokens.

Staking rewards are essentially like interest earned from depositing money in a bank. Crypto holders who participate in the staking process lock their assets for a specific duration to validate blockchain transactions and earn more tokens as a reward.

The complaint alleges that the dispute began after Akridge and Rossi filed for divorce in February 2023. Rossi claims that from early March to mid-May, Akridge operated and controlled the accounts in question and received all of the SOL token commissions.

Rossi, who works as a visual artist, further alleges that despite her request, Akridge, the principal engineer at Solana and now the CEO of California-based cybersecurity company Cyber Grant, failed to provide her with the private key or seed phrase to access the crypto accounts.

Highlighting the substantial disparity in crypto knowledge between herself and her ex-husband, Rossi says in the complaint that Akridge “took advantage of the significant disparity in expertise in cryptocurrencies and blockchain that he possessed.”

The precise value of the tokens in dispute is redacted in the suit, but Rossi notes that a substantial sum is at stake. She is seeking damages for her claims and alleges that Akridge breached their contract, engaged in unjust enrichment, and committed fraud.