Bitcoin (BTC) Core developer Luke Dashjr on Tuesday called for Blockstream CEO Adam Back to resign following the release of Justice Department documents showing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein invested in the Bitcoin infrastructure company.
The demand came days after the DOJ released 3.5 million pages of Epstein-related files.
The documents detail Epstein's financial ties to multiple cryptocurrency ventures during Bitcoin's formative years.
"These recent revelations about Adam and Epstein Island help shed light on some of Adam's hostility toward me," Dashjr wrote.
He added that Back "should consider resigning from all positions of authority."
What Happened
The newly released files show Epstein invested approximately $500,000 in Blockstream's 2014 seed round through a fund co-owned with former MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito.
Emails reference a planned April 2014 visit by Blockstream founders to Epstein's Caribbean island.
One email to Bitcoin developer Amir Taaki mentions "Andy Back" being on the island that month. Whether such a visit occurred remains unclear.
Back acknowledged the investment Sunday but said the fund divested within months "due to a potential conflict of interest."
He stated Blockstream has no financial connection to Epstein's estate. Back did not address the island visit references.
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Why It Matters
The revelations expose early Bitcoin funding sources at a critical development phase. Epstein also invested $3 million in Coinbase during 2014 when the exchange was valued at $400 million.
The documents contain 1,522 references to Bitcoin, 266 to Coinbase, and 19 to Adam Back, according to file tallies. Tether co-founder Brock Pierce appears 1,801 times.
The dispute revives longstanding tensions between Dashjr and Back over Bitcoin governance and scaling decisions. Dashjr claims Back promised him Blockstream co-founder status but "cut me out."
Neither Blockstream nor Back responded to requests for comment on the resignation demand.
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