PANews reported on January 14th that Kirk West, the man suspected of stealing over $11 million worth of XRP from Nancy Jones, the widow of the late American country music singer George Jones, has filed a countersuit against her. West claims that he amassed wealth through investments in cryptocurrencies and other assets during their relationship and is therefore entitled to a portion of the assets. West was arrested last year for allegedly stealing $400,000 in cash and over 5.5 million XRP (worth $11.6 million at the time) from Nancy Jones. According to court documents, the two met and fell in love after George Jones' death in 2013. West claimed to be a "cryptocurrency expert" and persuaded Nancy to invest in various cryptocurrencies, including XRP, Ethereum, and Dogecoin. Last year, Nancy suspected West of infidelity and kicked him out of their home. She subsequently discovered that her Ledger hardware wallet, which stored her crypto assets, had disappeared from a safe. Although lawyers recovered over 5 million XRP, 483,000 XRP (worth over $1 million today) remain unaccounted for.
In his countersuit, West denies the theft allegations and claims that he created wealth for both of them through "multiple wise investments," demanding half of the cryptocurrency, cash, and gold and silver assets they held when they left Nancy's residence last year. According to Rolling Stone magazine, the assets also include $5 million worth of gold and silver and $1 million in cash. Williamson County court records show that the case was last updated after West filed his countersuit this Friday, following the filing of a private subpoena last October.


Powell said the Federal Open Market Committee is weighing interest rates on a meeting-by-meeting basis, with no long-term consensus. US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the 19 members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) remain divided on additional interest rate cuts in 2025.At Wednesday’s press conference after the Fed’s 25-basis-point rate cut, Powell said the central bank is trying to balance its dual mandate of maximum employment and price stability in an unusual environment where the labor market is weakening even as inflation remains elevated. Powell said:Powell said that the “median” FOMC projection from the Federal Reserve’s Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), the Fed’s quarterly outlook for the US economy that informs interest rate decisions, projected interest rates at 3.6% at the end of 2025, 3.4% by the end of 2026, and 3.1% at the end of 2027.Read more
