Alleged $11 Million XRP Fraudster Files Countersuit Against the Widow of Country Music Icon George Jones

Dispute Over $11 Million in Cryptocurrency Involving George Jones’ Widow Escalates

Kirk West, accused of stealing over $11 million in XRP from Nancy Jones, the widow of country music legend George Jones, has responded with a countersuit against her.

West, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, was arrested last year on allegations of taking $400,000 in cash and more than 5.5 million XRP tokens—currently valued at over $11.6 million—from Nancy Jones. In his countersuit, West maintains he was owed a share of the assets and claims he is a victim of both fraud and defamation, as reported by Rolling Stone.

Background of the Relationship

The two first met in the months after George Jones passed away in 2013, when West expressed interest in buying the Jones family home, according to court filings initially covered by Nashville’s WKRN.

Not long after, West and Nancy Jones began a romantic relationship. In 2016, while West was under house arrest for criminal bank fraud charges, he began referring to himself as a “crypto expert.”

Cryptocurrency Investments and Allegations

West is said to have convinced Nancy Jones to invest heavily in several cryptocurrencies, including XRP, Ethereum (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE), Shiba Inu (SHIB), and Stellar (XLM). An affidavit attached to a restraining order further claims West took SHIB and ETH holdings from Jones.

By 2020, West allegedly acquired additional tokens for Jones, such as Terra (which collapsed in 2022), Flare (FLR), Monero (XMR), and Songbird (SGB), using platforms like Crypto.com and Uphold.

Discovery of Missing Assets

After West was removed from Jones’ residence last year amid suspicions of infidelity, Jones discovered that her Ledger hardware wallet, which stored the keys to her digital assets, was missing from her safe. With legal assistance, she managed to recover just over 5 million XRP tokens, but more than 483,000 XRP—now worth upwards of $1 million—remain missing.

Ongoing Legal Battle

While Nancy Jones accuses West of stealing her cryptocurrency, West denies these allegations. He asserts that his investment decisions during their relationship generated significant wealth for both parties, and he now claims a right to a portion of those assets. The disputed assets also reportedly include $5 million in precious metals and $1 million in cash, according to Rolling Stone.

West’s countersuit, filed on Friday, marks the first update in the case since private subpoenas were issued in October, as noted in the Williamson County online court records. The 58-year-old is seeking half of the cryptocurrency, cash, and precious metals accumulated up to the time he left Jones’ home last year.

Decrypt reached out to West’s attorney at Dana McLendon Law for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.