The victim invested $40 million in the XPRT token, the value of which plummeted in 2021

Billionaire heiress loses $80 million in cryptocurrency due to psychic’s advice

25.08.2025 - 16:05

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2 min

Key points:

  • Taylor Thomson, heiress to a wealthy family, lost $80 million due to a psychic’s crypto advice.
  • A former friend helped manage her investment portfolio, putting her funds at risk by using untested strategies.
  • Thomson filed a $25 million lawsuit against Richardson and Persistence, claiming that they had secretly agreed on a “fee.”

Taylor Thomson, heiress to the billionaire family that owns the media and financial giant Wall Street Journal, has lost more than $80 million in cryptocurrency by following investment advice given to her by a psychic. She invested in crypto assets with the help of her former best friend, Ashley Richardson.

The loss occurred after both women consulted with a psychic and other spiritual mentors. Richardson had been actively involved in managing Thomson’s $140 million cryptocurrency portfolio since 2021.

However, the downturn in the crypto market in mid-2022 dealt a serious blow to finances, and consulting firm Guidepost Solutions estimated Thomson’s losses at more than $80 million. The company claimed that Richardson had executed more than 450 000 trades without proper authorization, putting funds at risk by using untested strategies.

The consequences of psychic advice

Richardson denied the allegations, stating that she was acting on the instructions of Thomson and a psychic who provided investment advice. She claimed that the transactions were necessary to manage the liquidity of tokens with low demand.

In 2023, Thomson sued Richardson and Persistence (XPRT), a blockchain platform with a Proof-of-Stake algorithm launched in 2021. The victim invested $40 million in the XPRT token, the value of which plummeted. On May 15, 2021, the XPRT token reached an all-time high of $16,59. At the time of writing, the token is trading at $0,037, which is 99% less than its record high.

Thomson filed a $25 million lawsuit against Richardson and Persistence, claiming that they secretly agreed on a “fee” for Richardson.

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