•BitBoy Crypto, also known as Ben Armstrong, was ordered to appear in court to address his alleged harassment of counsel in a lawsuit involving several crypto influencers.
•Armstrong openly mocked the order on social media and instead tweeted pictures of himself on a beach in the Bahamas. The judge warned him that she would issue a warrant for his arrest if he failed to appear by April 24.
•Armstrong has been barred from tweeting about Moskowitz and the plaintiffs in the case due to the judge’s order on April 20.
BitBoy Crypto Intentionally Misses Court Appearance
YouTuber and Crypto Twitter personality Ben Armstrong, also known as “BitBoy Crypto,” missed a court appearance ordered by a federal magistrate judge in response to the YouTuber’s alleged harassment of counsel in a lawsuit involving several crypto influencers.
Judge Warns of Arrest Warrant
Judge Melissa Damian had ordered Armstrong and his counsel to appear on April 20th to address the YouTuber’s “harassment towards plaintiffs’ counsel.” However, Armstrong openly mocked the order on social media, instead tweeting pictures of himself on a beach in the Bahamas. According to various reports, Judge Damian warned Armstrong’s attorney — who was in attendance, as ordered — that she would issue a warrant for the YouTuber’s arrest if he failed to appear by April 24.
Lawsuit Involving Fraud & Harassment
Individuals affected by the collapse of FTX filed a class-action lawsuit against Armstrong and several other YouTubers in March for allegedly promoting fraud through the exchange “without disclosing compensation.” Moskowitz, the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs in that case, claimed that Armstrong harassed him with “endless phone calls, tweets and emails,” voicemails “full of vulgarities,” and social media posts suggesting threats.
“Recklessness” Sponsored By
Amid court proceedings on April 20th, Armstrong continued to mock both Moskowitz and the harassment case against him. He said that he was “not flying by the seat of [his] pants,” hinting that his absence from court may have been with advice from counsel. He reportedly offered through counsel to appear before Judge Damian sometime during May.
Ban On Social Media Posts
As part of Judge Damian’s order on April 20th , Armstrong will reportedly be barred from tweeting about Moskowitz and any plaintiffs involved in this case. He previously compared lead attorney Moskowitz an ambulance chaser and pig while largely dismissing allegations made against him.