Ben Armstrong, the cryptocurrency influencer formerly known as ‘BitBoy’, was reportedly arrested by local law enforcement during a live stream outside the home of a former business colleague’s house.
He claimed the business associate had stolen his Lamborghini and wanted to “kill him”.
The incident occurred amidst an ongoing legal dispute’s involving Armstrong and his former brand BitBoy Crypto.
At the end of August, Ben ‘BitBoy’ Armstrong was removed from the crypto-focused YouTube channel he created.
Parent company Hit Network made the decision after concerns of alleged substance abuse and financial mismanagement.
BitBoy’s livestreamed arrest
Armstrong’s livestream began with a cryptic message on Twitter, where he announced his intention to go live from a “special location”.
Shortly after, he was seen streaming from the residence of Carlos Diaz, a consultant and non-fungible token (NFT) investor reportedly connected to Hit Network.
During the livestream, Armstrong accused Diaz of wanting to “kill him”. The former face of BitBoy also made claims that Diaz was tied to organised crime, including the Houston mafia.
However, his outburst was abruptly halted when the police showed up 19 minutes into the livestream. Still visible, BitBoy was asked if he had any weapons, which he denied.
He was then instructed to put down his phone, leading to the screen going black. But, audio from the conversation between Armstrong and the police remained audible.
According to official records from the Gwinnett County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office, Benjamin Charles Armstrong was booked into custody on 25 September at 9:11 pm local time.
“Death threats” and lawsuits
This arrest occurred amid an ongoing legal dispute between Armstrong and Hit Network. Following his removal from BitBoy Crypto in August, Armstrong started a lawsuit against the network. The lawsuit’s defendants include Hit Network CEO Timothy ‘TJ’ Shedd Jr.
Armstrong’s legal action aims to regain control of his channel, along with associated social media and email accounts.
He has also demanded full access to BJIH’s financial records and insists that all legal expenses be covered by the defendants.
In a recent video, Armstrong disclosed that he has been receiving death threats from those he is currently suing.
Armstrong further alleges that he was compelled to surrender ownership of his Lamborghini, which he now claims is in possession by Diaz. He said he has been entirely cut off from his financial resources.
BitBoy begs for donations
To finance his ongoing legal battle, he appealed to his followers, stating: “I’m humbly asking anyone who has ever benefited from my content or anything I’ve done to help donate to my legal fund to get BitBoy Crypto back.”
Armstrong received over $55,000 from his followers into his Ethereum wallet.
But some criticised the move to ask for donations. ZachXBT, a blockchain “detective”, responded to Armstrong’s post on X (formerly Twitter): “How about all the people who lost money as a direct result of you promoting sketchy projects and more recently meme coins?”
Other members of the community pointed out the $350,000 Rolex Armstrong was wearing in the video.
Armstrong tweets
In the past few minutes, Armstrong has taken to X to say: “My name is Ben and I’m a loiterer. I did 8 whole hours in the slammer”…
The saga continues.
