Tennessee Man Charged in $10M+ Theft from George Jones’ Widow

The Alleged Theft of Millions from a Country Music Legend’s Widow

A Tennessee man is accused of stealing millions of dollars in cryptocurrency and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from his ex-girlfriend, the widow of country music legend George Jones. According to court documents, Nancy Jones, who was married to George Jones from 1983 until his death in 2013, is the alleged victim of the theft.

Kirk West, 58, was taken into custody at Nashville International Airport on Thursday, July 24, less than 24 hours after the Franklin Police Department began its investigation. An affidavit filed with the court states that Nancy Jones reported the theft on July 23, claiming that West stole approximately $400,000 in cash and a Ledger cryptocurrency wallet from two safes inside her home in Franklin around June 26.

The granddaughter of Nancy Jones discovered that the $400,000 in cash was missing from the safe, along with the Ledger wallet, which contained approximately 5,534,307 units of the digital currency XRP. Based on the value of each token at the time of the theft, the total value of the stolen cryptocurrency was approximately $11,622,044.70. As of July 25, the value had increased to $17,045,665.56.

According to police, West was the only person besides Nancy Jones who had the private key to access the wallet. With the help of attorneys, Nancy Jones was able to recover approximately 5,051,102 XRP but still lost out on 483,205 XRP. As of publication, the lost cryptocurrency is worth nearly $1.5 million.

A History of Deception and Financial Exploitation

Nancy Jones met West in August 2013, when she toured a home she had for sale. West presented himself as an interested buyer and investor. However, court documents reveal that this was part of West’s “modus operandi” to meet “wealthy, potentially vulnerable women.” Jones says West began texting her, offering companionship and guidance in light of her husband’s death. Through their interactions, she learned that West was not interested in buying her residence. He was effectively penniless and didn’t have his own home, according to court documents.

In September 2013, Nancy Jones allowed West to move into a separate, upstairs wing of her residence before they began a romantic relationship in October 2013. Given West’s insolvency, Jones entirely funded their life together, paying for everything from their living expenses to vacations and even a new Mercedes-Benz for West to drive.

West had previously been charged with bank fraud in July 2016. He was accused of misrepresenting himself as a “real estate investor” to seek loans from Reliant Bank for the financing of real estate purchases and to refinance real estate loans. He allegedly inflated his income and net worth and forged proof-of-income documents he later submitted to the bank.

Jones reportedly hired representation for West and paid his legal fees over the course of the federal criminal proceedings. In September 2016, he pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and admitted to executing a “scheme and artifice to defraud Reliant Bank” by using false and fraudulent misrepresentations. As part of his plea deal, West agreed to pay $935,045.04 in restitution to Reliant Bank and an additional $787,663.68 in restitution to the federal district court.

A New Chapter of Alleged Exploitation

According to the affidavit, West convinced Nancy Jones to pay his restitution obligation, saying he would pay her back over time, but he has yet to do so. While on house arrest at Nancy Jones’ home, West allegedly became a crypto “expert” and persuaded the country music star’s widow to invest in multiple cryptocurrencies, including XLM, DOGE, XRP, SHIB, and Ethereum.

West reportedly helped open the George Jones Museum in 2015 before it was sold along with George Jones’ name, image, and likeness to a Nashville-based investment group. Although the museum weathered a 2020 Christmas Day bombing with minimal damage, it ultimately closed in December 2021.

Authorities said West was charged with theft over $250,000. His bond was set at $1 million ahead of his Oct. 23 court date. Nancy Jones’ attorney confirmed to Nexstar’s WKRN that she is the alleged victim of the theft. The case continues to unfold as investigators work to uncover the full extent of the financial crimes committed against the widow of a country music legend.