Odaily Planet News: Email documents recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice show that Jeffrey Epstein invested approximately $3 million through his entity, IGO Company LLC, into Coinbase in 2014, participating in its Series C funding round at the time, when the company was valued at around $400 million.
Email correspondence shows that Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam was aware of the investment and had expressed a desire to meet with Epstein to discuss the arrangements. The investment opportunity was initially facilitated by Tether co-founder Brock Pierce and his venture capital firm, Blockchain Capital. Blockchain Capital stated that Epstein did not invest through his fund, but instead completed the transaction directly through a personal entity.
The asset list disclosed by the Department of Justice also shows that Epstein had a recorded asset of $3.001 million for "purchasing Coinbase" as of the end of 2014. Related emails also indicate that in 2018, Epstein sold half of his Coinbase equity to Blockchain Capital, cashing out approximately $15 million.
In addition, the documents show that Epstein had invested in Blockstream during its early days. According to reports, Coinbase, Fred Ehrsam, and Brock Pierce have not made any further public comments on the matter so far. (Decrypt)