XRP News Today: Tennessee Woman Accuses Ex-Boyfriend of Stealing $17M XRP

Kirk West Arrested for Alleged $17M XRP and Cash Theft From Nancy Jones
XRP News Today: Tennessee Woman Accuses  Ex-Boyfriend of Stealing $17M XRP
Written By:
Kelvin Munene
Reviewed By:
Sankha Ghosh
Published on

Nancy Jones, the widow of country music legend George Jones, has reported her ex-boyfriend Kirk West to the police on allegations of theft. She claims that West stole over $17 million worth of XRP cryptocurrency and $400,000 in cash from her home in Tennessee. According to reports, the robbery occurred after West was evicted from her home on June 28, 2025, due to suspicions of infidelity.

Court documents indicate that Jones sought assistance from her granddaughter to secure her digital and physical assets after removing West from her residence. 

On July 24, authorities arrested West at Nashville International Airport, just a day after Jones officially reported the theft. West, 58, now faces a Class A felony charge for theft exceeding $250,000. Law enforcement has confirmed that he was the only other person with access to the private keys associated with the Ledger crypto wallet containing the stolen XRP tokens.

Majority of XRP Recovered, but $1.5 Million Remains Missing

Through legal and technical interventions by Jones and her lawyers, over 5 million of the stolen XRP tokens have apparently been reclaimed. Nevertheless, an estimated 483,205 XRP, which have a value of around $1.5 million according to current market prices, cannot be accounted for. The addresses related to the incident were not publicly announced, and Ripple Labs or governmental organizations provided no formal information about the ongoing case.

The case raises issues of the privacy of individual crypto assets, especially when shared or accessible within close personal relationships. Although XRP is one of the most actively traded crypto assets, its decentralization status makes asset recovery challenging once transferred to various exchanges or wallets.

Prior Fraud Conviction and Legal Developments in Kirk West’s Case

West has a prior record of financial misconduct. In a previous case, he pleaded guilty to bank fraud. Court records indicate that Nancy Jones covered his legal expenses during that time. The pair began their relationship shortly after the passing of George Jones in 2013, when West, who was reportedly homeless, moved in with her.

Kirk West's current legal case has garnered attention due to the high value of the stolen cryptocurrency and his previous convictions. Authorities have set his bond at $1 million, and a court appearance is scheduled for October 23. The police are still investigating the case, including the distribution of the lost XRP tokens within digital wallet systems and potential exchange platforms.

Also read: Biggest Crypto Frauds in History

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