Monero’s Former Lead Maintainer Released From US Custody

Riccardo Spagni, the former Monero lead maintainer who was recently arrested for charges unrelated to the privacy token, has reported that US officials have released him from custody.

• CryptoPotato reported in early August when Spagni was arrested for alleged fraud committed between 2009 and 2011.
• The reports indicated that his crimes had nothing to do with his work for the popular privacy coin Monero, as they were dated long before the inception of the network.
• Instead, his alleged crimes were in connection to his time as an IT manager at Cape Cookies – a bakery in Cape Town, South Africa. More precisely, the allegations claimed that he intercepted invoices from another company (EnSync) and used false information to fabricate similar invoices related to the same company.
• The arrest took place in July in Nashville, Tennessee, during a scheduled fueling stop while aboard a private jet on his way to Mexico.
• Earlier this week, though, Spagni provided an update through Twitter saying he was “very pleased” that the US court had released him.
• Additionally, the former Monero lead maintainer noted he was actively working with his lawyers to return to South Africa.

I am very pleased that the U.S. court has released me. I am actively working with my attorneys on a way to return to South Africa as soon as possible so I can address this matter and get it behind me once and for all. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do.

— Riccardo Spagni (@fluffypony) September 21, 2021