Solana Pioneer's Ex-Wife Sues for Millions in Allegedly Withheld Crypto Returns

A co-founder of Solana, one of the world's largest blockchain platforms, is facing a legal battle with his former wife over millions of dollars in alleged withheld crypto returns. Stephen Akridge, a key stakeholder in Solana, is accused by his ex-wife, Elisa Rossi, of stealing "millions of dollars" in income generated from her digital wallet holdings of Solana, the sixth-largest cryptocurrency by market value.

Rossi filed a lawsuit against Akridge in California state court on Tuesday, claiming that he took advantage of his superior knowledge of cryptocurrencies and blockchain to surreptitiously reap her so-called staking rewards. Rossi alleges that although Akridge appeared to give her control of her portion of Solana, he did not give her the staking rewards, which amounted to "millions of dollars."

The couple, who were married for almost 10 years, amassed a great deal of wealth and assets during their marriage, largely from Akridge's role in the founding of Solana Labs, the company that created the Solana blockchain. In 2023, the couple filed for divorce, and Rossi claims that the divorce was "acrimonious and prolonged."

As part of the divorce settlement, Rossi was entitled to a portion of the couple's SOL tokens, which now boast a market value of $90 billion, according to CoinGecko. Rossi's Solana was staked, meaning that the cryptocurrency was held in escrow to secure a blockchain. In return for not moving their crypto, stakers receive interest. Rossi claims that Akridge did not give her the staking rewards, which amounted to "millions of dollars."

The lawsuit redacts the specific amounts that Akridge allegedly withheld from Rossi. Akridge did not immediately respond to requests for comment by email, text, or through a LinkedIn message. Rossi's lawyer did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.



The lawsuit against Akridge is a rare glimpse into the finances of a co-founder of one of the market's top cryptocurrencies. Akridge isn't as visible as Anatoly Yakavenko or Raj Gokal, the other two co-founders of Solana Labs. Still, he was a key stakeholder who split from Solana Labs in January to launch Anza, a Solana software developer, along with half of Solana Labs' staff. In October, he was appointed CEO of Cyber Grant, a cybersecurity company.

Rossi's lawsuit reflects how crypto has become another source of conflict when couples split up. In 2023, CNBC reported how a husband allegedly hid $500,000 in Bitcoin from his wife during their divorce. Rossi said that her former husband similarly took advantage of her comparative lack of crypto know-how to pocket her Solana staking rewards.

After she found out that Akridge had withheld Solana from her, she reached out to him more than a dozen times between May and December to ask for her crypto. At one point, Akridge allegedly laughed in her face, according to the suit. "Good luck getting those staking rewards from me," he said.

Ben Weiss is DL News’ Dubai Correspondent. Got a tip? Email him at bweiss@dlnews.com.

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