The leader of a contentious cryptocurrency project has acknowledged to CoinMarketCap that he was accused in 2011 with kidnapping and robbing a lady at gunpoint.
Accept Dogecoin was faced with legal action when it was accused of using Dogecoin’s trademarks, and the backlash caused Twitter users to suggest that primary organizer and crypto YouTuber “Myles G Investments” had a criminal record.
Watkins pretended to be an employee of a modeling agency in Miami to gain the victim’s trust, police said, and then demanded she hand up a $15,000 Rolex watch while holding a pistol to her head. Later, it was discovered to be a pellet gun.
Myles G Investments revealed his criminal record to CoinMarketCap through direct message on Twitter, saying that he “made a mistake that injured many people,” and that he “made a mistake that hurt many people.”
“I was young, immature, on drugs, and unsure about what I wanted to do with my life. The suffering I caused others as a result of a mistake I committed about 11 years ago prompted me to think on my life, previous acts, and the road I was on.”
Watkins, who has 146,000 YouTube followers, described himself as a “successful company entrepreneur and multimillionaire with a love to help individuals experience financial independence through investing and trading cryptocurrencies,” adding:
“My previous deeds and life have been a powerful witness for many, encouraging others that everything you set your mind to is achievable, and that individuals can change.”
Accept Dogecoin Site Taken Down
Watkins stated that Accept Dogecoin is altering its name and logo in reaction to the Dogecoin Foundation’s threat of legal action, adding:
“Instead of attempting to persuade businesses to take only Dogecoin, we will instead attempt to persuade businesses to accept all cryptocurrencies.”
The website for Accept Dogecoin has been taken down, and its Twitter account has been erased.
Matt Wallace, a popular crypto YouTuber who had indicated interest in working with Accept Dogecoin, declined to inform CoinMarketCap if he was comfortable being directly involved in a project where the key organizer had a history of violent criminal convictions. He did, however, say:
“I don’t pass judgment on individuals based on their history. Today, everyone deserves the opportunity to study and grow as a person. It’s especially something from a long time ago when it comes from a young age. Making someone in that scenario a social pariah for the rest of their lives, in my opinion, would not be good for society.”