- Shark Tank panelist Kevin O'Leary sues influencer.
- The case is tied to a fatal 2019 boat crash in Canada.
- BitBoy was recently arrested again in a separate case.
Things just got worse for BitBoy in his saga of public self-destruction.
Ben “BitBoy” Armstrong, a well-known crypto influencer, is now being sued for defamation by Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary.
O’Leary, a 70-year-old Canadian businessman known as “Mr Wonderful,” accused Armstrong of spreading malicious falsehoods about him on social media, including branding him “a real-life murderer.”
Boating accident
In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the US court in Florida, O’Leary alleges Armstrong made a number of false claims in connection with a 2019 boating accident in Ontario that left two people dead.
O’Leary was a passenger and never charged. His wife, Linda, who was operating the boat, was acquitted in 2021 after a 13-day trial.
In March, Armstrong launched a barrage of inflammatory posts on X and accused the couple of paying millions to cover up the incident.
‘I’m a rabid dog with my teeth sunk deep into your leg.’
— Ben 'BitBoy' Armstrong
Armstrong posted O’Leary’s personal phone number with a message inviting followers to “call a real-life murderer.”
Following a 12-hour suspension on X, he doubled down by taunting O’Leary: “You can’t sue me. You can’t stop me... I’m a rabid dog with my teeth sunk deep into your leg.”
And then he got sued.
O’Leary’s legal team argues that Armstrong’s statements were “deliberate falsehoods” published with malice, intended to harm O’Leary’s reputation and fan outrage for personal gain.
“Armstrong appears motivated to draw attention to himself through public feuds or controversies… as a strategy to regain relevance in the crypto space and, in his words, become ‘rich again,‘” the complaint states.
‘Shady dirtbag’
Ironically, Armstrong once filed a defamation suit of his own against another YouTuber, Erling Mengshoel Jr., known online as Atozy, who had called him a “shady dirtbag.”
The move backfired. Mengshoel quickly crowdfunded over $200,000 in donations for his legal defence — funds he later refunded after Armstrong abruptly dropped the case.
O’Leary is seeking damages exceeding $75,000 and a jury trial.
DL News was unable to contact Armstrong for comment.
Armstrong’s crypto empire began to unravel in 2023, when he was ousted from his own company, HIT Network, over allegations of substance abuse, violence, and misconduct.
Days later, he was arrested while live-streaming outside the home of former associate Carlos Diaz, whom Armstrong accused of stealing his Lamborghini.
In the since-deleted livestream, Armstrong told his viewers he had a gun in his vehicle and revealed that the woman in his car was someone he had previously had an affair with.
He was later booked on a loitering charge and released shortly after.
Fugitive
Things escalated further this month when Armstrong was arrested on Tuesday in Florida, this time held without bond as a fugitive from justice.
The arrest appears to be linked to emails he sent to Judge Kimberly Childs in Georgia, whom he was reportedly harassing while representing himself in a separate defamation case.
Armstrong admitted on X: “I can now confirm that the warrants for my arrest are due to me sending emails (as my own attorney by the way) to the dishonorable Kimberly Childs of Cobb County, who has now deleted her Twitter.”
Kyle Baird is DL News’ Weekend Editor. Got a tip? Email at kbaird@dlnews.com.