The CEO of San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has spoken out against New York cryptocurrency regulators after a scathing report was released identifying Kraken as one of three exchanges that may be operating unlawfully in the state.

Yesterday, news broke that the New York State Attorney General’s office (OAG) had referred Kraken, along with Binance and Gate.io, to the New York Department of Financial Services for potentially violating the state’s laws governing cryptocurrencies. OAG has raised concerns about the internal operations of the cryptocurrency exchanges in question, including their security and market surveillance protocols, and other investor protections.

Jesse Powell, Kraken’s CEO, responded immediately calling OAG's initial probe “insulting.” However, Powell has since returned to vent on Twitter, comparing New York crypto regulators to an “abusive, controlling ex.”

“NY is that abusive, controlling ex you broke up with 3 years ago but they keep stalking you, throwing shade on your new relationships, unable to accept that you have happily moved on and are better off without them. #getoverit,” Powell tweeted.

The “ex” reference is speaking to Kraken’s past history with the state of New York and its chief regulators overseeing cryptocurrencies. New York’s Department of Financial Services is responsible for designing the notorious Bitlicense framework that allows businesses to operate services related to cryptocurrencies in the state, including buying, selling, trading, and even storing cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, or Ethereum.

Powell blames the Bitlicense for why it exited from New York in 2015. He called it the “Great Bitcoin Exodus,” as like-kind businesses operating in the state were forced to cease operations or face regulation under the controversial Bitlicense.

Powell’s Twitter tirade caught the attention of influential cryptocurrency industry figure and ShapeShift CEO Erik Voorhees, who suggested that New York could lose its reputation for being the epicenter of global finance if it doesn’t change the heavy-handed approach it takes against cryptocurrencies and the businesses that make them available to investors.