- The Blockchain Association’s president, Kristin Smith, was arrested.
- Smith asked American Representatives for help.
The CEO of the Blockchain Association, Kristin Smith, said earlier this week on Twitter that she had been arrested in Costa Rica and was unable to leave the country.
Kristin Smith was detained at Costa Rica Airport
Following a vacation at a five-star resort, prominent cryptocurrency lobbyist and Blockchain Association president Kristin Smith was arrested in Liberia, Costa Rica, this week. Smith tweeted about her imprisonment and her need for assistance on U.S. Ambassador Cynthia Telles’ official account.
The tweet said, “I’m being held at the Liberia airport in Costa Rica.” We have been advised that we must stay overnight at the airport as we cannot go until tomorrow.
The officials here inform us that our passports lack an entrance stamp, Smith said when she announced her release from the airport holding facility later that day. It seems that this is a highly significant stamp, and not having one is quite awful. While awaiting a trip to the United States, she remained under the control of Costa Rican immigration officers.
Smith Being Grateful to Supporters
In an email, Blockchain Association Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications Curtis Kincaid said, “Kristin is grateful to all who provided support, along with Blockchain Association members, friends, and peers, for their good wishes and support during this time.”
Smith also thanked U.S. Representatives Tom Emmer and Ro Khanna for helping her get in touch with the American embassy. Prior to the 2022 elections, she gave Khanna $5,800 and Emmer $55,800 in donations. Both lawmakers have yet to comment on the situation, and on Thursday night, a representative for the Blockchain Association confirmed that Smith was leaving for home.
Smith on Sam Bankman
Earlier, Smith offered her thoughts on FTX’s Sam Bankman as she was being interviewed for a podcast. Smith said that Bankman had spent more time directly lobbying politicians in Washington, D.C. than any other CEO she had come across in her career spanning twenty years. She based her assertion on her experience.
In addition, Smith detailed Bankman’s significant efforts in meeting with members of Congress, leadership, and staff, including bringing them out for drinks as part of his efforts. “In my more than 20 years of working in Washington, I’ve never seen an executive spend this much time personally lobbying Capitol Hill,” she said. “I’ve never seen anyone do that.”
About the Blockchain Association
The Blockchain Association is a crypto lobbying organization that was established in 2018, and it now has close to one hundred members. Kraken, Uniswap, the Digital Currency Group (DCG), Consensys, and the Filecoin Foundation are some of the crypto firms that support the group.
On Wednesday, the organization sent a message indicating that it was standing with the plaintiffs in the action that had been filed against the United States Treasury over the penalties that the department had imposed on Tornado Cash, which is an Ethereum privacy service. An amicus brief is a document that is filed to a court by someone who has an interest in a legal cause but is not a party to the case. In this instance, the Blockchain Association submitted an amicus brief.