Stephen Akridge’s Solana Controversy: Who Is Elisa Rossi and What’s Her Role?

Highlights

Elisa Rossi, the ex-wife of Solana co-founder Stephen Akridge, has sued him for crypto theft.
In their divorce settlement, Rossi received a significant portion of crypto from her ex-husband but later realized missing staking commissions.
Rossi claims Akridge used his crypto knowledge to divert her portion of staking rewards to him, embezzling millions.

Solana (SOL) and the team are often in the news for the asset’s price performance and developments. However, things have turned different this time, as Elisa Rossi has pulled the Solana co-founder, Stephen Akridge, in a significant Solana Controversy, including staking reward thefts and much more. Let’s discuss the whole story.

Who is Elisa Rossi and Her Relation To Stephen Akridge?

Elisa Rossi was married to Stephen Akridge for 10 years before the couple got separated in February 2023. The couple had quite a long journey together and grew rich and famous, especially with Stephen’s role in Solana, the third biggest blockchain network. At present, SOL price sits at $187 with a market capitalization of $89.4B. However, Akridge moved away from Solana Labs in January 2024 and has launched Anza. He is also the CEO of Cyber Grant, which is a cybersecurity company.

The couple got divorced in early 2023 but are now in the limelight after Rossi sued Akridge. Rossi has openly called the divorce acrimonious and prolonged in a recent lawsuit. This Solana controversy highlighted the importance of understanding crypto distribution and management among spouses.

Stephen Akridge’s Sued in Staking Reward Theft

The Bloomberg report states that Rossi has sued her ex-husband, the Solana co-founder, for claims that Stephen used his crypto knowledge to steal millions of staking rewards from her portion of crypto. As a divorce settlement, Elisa Rossi received a significant portion of digital assets in three crypto wallets from her ex-husband, per Law.com. However, she had to file the lawsuit in San Francisco court after she realized that Stephen stole the staking commissions from her portion.

The alleged crypto steal happened between March and May when Akridge still controlled her crypto accounts and stole the stalking commission for himself by directing her SOL to his control. Rossi claimed that she found out about this two months after the divorce and has reached out to him over a dozen times in the last few months, but he has failed to do so and even laughed in her face, saying, “Good luck getting those staking rewards from me,” per lawsuit filings.

Overall, Rossi has sued Stephen Akridge for failing to adhere to divorce agreements, crypto theft, and fraud, and unfairly embezzling her money. With the Solana controversy and lawsuit, she wishes to receive compensation for the financial losses her husband has caused her. She also requests additional punitive or statutory exemplary damages and judgment interest per legal obligations.

Does it Impact the Crypto Industry?

Stephen Akridge’s lawsuit has gained significant attention from crypto enthusiasts, but it is a personal matter and does not really affect the performance of Solana or the crypto industry. However, this Solana controversy shows how people should have a decent knowledge of cryptocurrency and its functioning, considering its wide adoption and usage. In many cases, spouses like Elisa Rossi have faced similar crypto asset distribution issues due to unawareness. More importantly, in general, crypto scams have disturbed people’s lives. The most recent being Pudgy Penguin’s phishing scams targeting NFT holders.

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Pooja Khardia

Pooja Khardia is a seasoned crypto content writer with 6+ years of experience in writing, including in blockchain, cryptocurrency, DeFi, and digital finance reporting. In her adventure journey, she is currently working with CoinGape Media and leading their Trending Section. Here, she uses her expertise to deliver analytics, market insights, price predictions, and information on what’s trending in the crypto space, aiming to keep the crypto and web3 community updated with market trends and important insights. Known for a user-centric and straightforward writing style, Pooja is passionate about making crypto easy and accessible. Her writing blends market research with storytelling, helping readers stay ahead in a fast-paced industry. When not behind the keyboard, Pooja embraces her creative side through drawing and crafting. Connect with Pooja on LinkedIn or X.

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