Overstock.com’s CEO Resigned over Romance with Russian Spy

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The spy who loved Overstock.com’s CEO Patrick Byrne also led to his abrupt resignation from the company  in response to allegations surrounding his previous romantic relationship with the now incarcerated agent, Maria Butina. Byrne, described as an entrepreneur as well as an American heir, describes himself as a “hippie” as well as controversial.

According to  Ellen Cranley’s  piece in Business Insider, Overstock founder Patrick Byrne was seemingly involved in a web of intrigue that involved a Russian spy and the FBI, “the news came after a bizarre August 12 statement in which Byrne said he assisted in federal investigations into the 2016 presidential election and was involved with the ‘Deep State’ and had worked with law-enforcement officials, who he called ‘the Men in Black.’”

Butina, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as a foreign agent, is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence. Byrne made the rounds with live television interviews shortly after announcing his resignation.

Byrne purchased a two-year old American retailing company, D2: Discount Directs in 1999 and renamed it Overstock.com, then brought to the stock market as an IPO in May 2002.

Byrne’s history is nothing short of interesting and colorful given his forays into bitcoin (Overstock.com was the first big retailer to start accepting bitcoin as payment in 2014), as well as filing a successful multi-million dollar suit against hedge fund Rocker Partners to combat naked short-selling of Overstock’s shares.

In addition to actual business documents, agreements, contracts, and corporate communications, RealDealDocs also features press releases, allowing you to view all information surrounding a company in one venue at your fingertips – on your phone, your tablet, or your computer.

Here are some Overstock documents currently available on RealDealDocs.com:

 

Image courtesy of businessinsider.com.