Crypto influencer Ben “BitBoy” Armstrong didn’t have the smoothest weekend as he found himself in a Gwinnett County, Georgia, jail cell, slapped with charges of “loitering/prowling” and “simple assault,” following a livestream incident outside a former associate’s house. Armstrong defended his actions with a brief bout of sarcasm, telling his followers, “My name is Ben and I’m a loiterer.”
When it comes to the accusation of prowling or loitering, Lawson & Berry, a Georgia-based law firm, explains that the charge generally refers to someone being in a place, at a time, or in a manner not usual for law-abiding individuals. This has surely raised eyebrows in the crypto community, but is it fair? And, if proven guilty, Armstrong might face a fine of $1,000, jail time of up to one year, or both.
The subsequent charge of simple assault betrays another layer of complexity to Armstrong’s adventurous evening. The charge could mean he attempted violent injury to another or, perhaps less dramatically, committed an act that put another in reasonable apprehension of immediately receiving such an injury. In simple terms, it means Armstrong was accused of either trying to hurt someone physically or making them believe he might. Again, a conviction for simple assault is treated as a misdemeanor in Georgia, except in certain escalated situations.
This recent saga dramatizes an ongoing fallout between Armstrong and the Hit Network, which controls the “BitBoy Crypto” brand. The firm citing issues related to substance abuse and financial harm to employees severed ties with Armstrong in August.
This narrative is unfolding with a constant flurry of information from social media, which might or might not be accurate. As crypto enthusiasts, we could be left wondering if this really is a case of a boundary overstepped, or an unfortunate series of events for a widely-known figure in the blockchain community. Either way, we can only hope the situation untangles with minimum harm to the people involved and the community they influence.
This ordeal certainly underlines the reality that influencers, just like anyone else, are subject to the law. Here, it reminds the community about the importance of acting responsibly, respecting others’ boundaries, and complying with the law, irrespective of their online clout in the crypto world. But at the end of the day, the lawsuit has yet to go through the court process, and we must remember that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
Source: Cointelegraph
