Houston Residents Sue Athena Bitcoin Over Multi-Million Dollar Scam Losses
Two Houston-area residents have filed lawsuits against Athena Bitcoin Inc., a subsidiary of Athena Bitcoin Global, after losing tens of thousands of dollars to scams. Meagan Venable, a Pearland woman, is being represented by former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, who argues her experience is not an isolated incident but rather a product of the company's operations.
The lawsuit claims that scammers threatened Venable with an immediate arrest if she didn't put 'bond money' into Athena Bitcoin kiosks. Holding her infant baby and petrified, Venable deposited a total of $23,700 in two separate kiosks. She was only able to recover a small fraction, around 12%, from Athena Bitcoin.
According to the FBI, Texans reported nearly 1,200 complaints involving cryptocurrency kiosk scams in 2025, with nearly $57 million in adjusted losses, the highest loss total of any state.