Businessman and television personality Kevin O’Leary has secured a $2.83 million default judgment in a U.S. federal court against former crypto influencer Ben Armstrong, widely known online as BitBoy.
The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom in Miami, stems from a series of social media posts published in March 2025 in which Armstrong accused O’Leary of murder and orchestrating a cover-up tied to a fatal 2019 boating accident.
Court Rules Posts Were False and Defamatory
In her order, Judge Bloom made clear that O’Leary was not operating the boat at the time of the 2019 collision and was never criminally charged. The accident, which occurred in Ontario, resulted in two fatalities after O’Leary’s boat struck another vessel at night.
O’Leary’s wife, Linda, was charged with careless operation of a vehicle but was later acquitted following a 13-day trial. The court found that the other boat involved in the crash was operating without its navigation lights on.
Despite these findings, Armstrong published multiple posts on X accusing O’Leary of being a “murderer” and claiming he had paid millions of dollars to conceal wrongdoing. According to the court’s order, those statements had no factual basis.
Judge Bloom noted that Armstrong escalated his conduct by publishing O’Leary’s private phone number and encouraging followers to harass him. In the ruling, she wrote that Armstrong had:
“escalated his harassment campaign” by sharing O’Leary’s private phone number and “urging his followers to ‘call a real life murderer.’”
O’Leary told the court that his phone began “lighting up” after the post went live. The judge found that the disclosure of his number significantly disrupted both his professional and personal life. Armstrong’s X account was temporarily suspended for 12 hours following the incident.
$2.83 Million in Damages
The court entered a default judgment after Armstrong failed to respond to the complaint or appear in court. As a result, the allegations were deemed uncontested.
Judge Bloom awarded:
- $750,000 in mental anguish damages
- $78,000 in reputational damages
- $2 million in punitive damages
The punitive portion of the award reflects the court’s view that Armstrong’s conduct was not only defamatory but malicious.
Another Legal Blow for Armstrong
The ruling adds to a growing list of legal troubles for Armstrong, who was removed from the BitBoy Crypto brand in 2023 after internal disputes. Once among the most-watched crypto personalities on YouTube, his public profile has since been overshadowed by controversy.
Earlier this year, Armstrong was arrested in Florida over emails he sent to a Georgia Superior Court judge while representing himself in a separate matter. He was also arrested in Georgia in July on charges related to harassing phone calls. In 2023, he was detained while livestreaming outside a former associate’s residence during a dispute involving a luxury vehicle.
For O’Leary, the judgment represents a decisive legal victory and a public rebuttal of allegations that circulated widely across crypto-focused social media.
The case also serves as a reminder that online influence does not shield individuals from defamation law. Even in the fast-moving world of crypto commentary, courts are increasingly willing to hold creators accountable when speech crosses into provable falsehood and targeted harassment.
