Early Ethereum Supporter Steven Nerayoff Charged With Extortion

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Steven Nerayoff, an early supporter of Ethereum, with extortion. The case was flagged in a news segment of the Ledger Cast podcast, where hosts Brian Krogsgard and Josh Olszewicz covered it alongside updates on bitcoin hash rates and SegWit usage.

The episode's title, "The Alleged ICO Extortionist," points to a link between the case and initial coin offerings, the token sales that drew heavy attention during the 2017 boom. The podcast summary does not spell out the alleged scheme, the people involved, or the court where the case was filed, so those details should be checked against the Justice Department's public statements or court records.

Extortion charges are allegations until a court rules on them. Anyone following the case should look for the indictment or a Justice Department press release, which would normally lay out the specific conduct being alleged.