🌴 Crypto whale raped wife, withheld food, forced her to groom him: lawsuit
A crypto executive is accused of subjecting his wife to disturbing forms of sexual and psychological abuse, according to a new lawsuit.
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According to a NY Post Story, Max Hartman, a Crypto whale and executive, allegedly would punish his wife in shocking ways when she didn’t have sex with him on demand, according to court papers.
During one exchange, Hartman allegedly texted her that she was not permitted to eat the food he’d bought for their Chelsea home, according to messages included in the litigation.
“If you want to share in my bounty you need to be nice to me,” he wrote. “I will permit you to eat one of my bananas today as a gesture of good faith but definitely no ice cream.”
Hartman, 34, frequently ridiculed her weight and clothes; and “regularly required [her] to groom his private areas,” even bending over and asking her to photograph him from behind to examine the job she’d done, the ex, identified in court papers only as S.S., said in the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit.
The pair met as teenagers and briefly dated but broke up when Hartman pressured the then 13-year-old for sex, claimed the woman. They got back together as she graduated college.
S.S. alleges she was sexually assaulted multiple times by her partner during their relationship. She did not report these assaults to the police. S.S., now 32, describes feeling diminished and manipulated by her abuser, stating that he made her doubt her perception of events.
“Bit by bit he made me feel very small and worthless,” S.S., now 32, told The Post. “It was awful. As it was happening I felt in my gut that something wasn’t right, but every time I tried to stand up for myself he would twist my words and make me out to be the one who was wrong. . . . It sounds ridiculous but you get put down enough, and get told that you’re wrong enough, you start to believe it.”
S.S. alleges in the lawsuit that Harman is a co-owner of CardCoins, an online gift card to Bitcoin exchange, and a co-organizer of the large cryptocurrency network BitDevs. She further claims that he utilized CardCoins gift cards to fund a significant portion of his lifestyle, including private flights and their shared $10,000 per month apartment.
Additionally, court papers indicate Harman has been stopped by law enforcement on two occasions while carrying large sums of cash: in November 2018 on Amtrak with $884,630 and in March 2019 attempting to board a private jet.
During the 2019 incident, authorities found $409,805 in Hartman's possession. Court records indicate they suspected the cash, packaged in a manner they associate with narcotics proceeds, might be illegal earnings. Hartman was released without charges on both occasions, and most of the seized cash was later returned to him.
Following their breakup last year, S.S. alleges in the lawsuit that Hartman insisted on maintaining access to their apartment for video meetings, sent her harassing messages, and secretly entered the residence without her permission to record himself having sex with other women.
The lawsuit includes images allegedly depicting Hartman installing a hidden camera. According to the litigation, S.S. discovered numerous videos of these secret recordings on SD cards Hartman left behind. These videos allegedly include evidence of non-consensual acts and a clip where a financial transaction for sex is discussed.
In January, Hartman allegedly sent her a link to a Reddit thread about a similar situation involving secret recordings. This prompted S.S. to contact the other women she identified in the videos.
CardCoins denies any association with Hartman, describing the lawsuit's allegations as “extremely bizarre, misleading, and defamatory.” S.S. is not pursuing legal action against CardCoins.
S.S. seeks unspecified damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress, battery, rape, and other claims. She states, "I don’t want anyone else to go through what I’ve gone through.”
S.S.’s attorney, Daniel Szalkiewicz, maintains that hidden camera footage shows Hartman setting up a recording device before having sex. He disputes claims that the cameras were for monitoring a pet, citing recordings of other women in Hartman's pet-free Harlem apartment.
“No person should ever have to endure the hardships our client has experienced at Mr. Hartman’s hands,” Szalkiewicz states. “We look forward to a court holding Mr. Hartman accountable.”
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