In the trial of FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, the judge has set a tentative hearing date for October. Meanwhile, SBF dismissed charges in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday regarding defrauding investors and looting customer deposits on the cryptocurrency trading platform. In addition, SBF’s lawyers requested confidentiality from the judge.
Former CEO of FTX requests that the names of the guarantors remain anonymous
cryptocoin.com As you follow, former CEO of FTX Bankman-Fried is accused of illegally diverting large sums of client money from FTX to make lavish real estate purchases, donate money to politicians, and engage in risky transactions at cryptocurrency hedge fund Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried’s attorney, Mark Cohen, said of his client’s defense, “He denies any charges. He states that he is innocent,” he said.
Later, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan set a tentative hearing date for October 2, saying he could move it a day or two forward or backward. Bankman-Fried walked through a series of cameras as she entered the courthouse on a rainy day to appear before Kaplan for the first time. After receiving a defense during the trial, Kaplan discussed a schedule with attorneys to move forward with a trial. In a discussion on May 18, Kaplan decided that the defense’s motions and the prosecutors’ responses would be given in April.
Meanwhile, his lawyers sent a letter to the judge reporting that Bankman-Fried’s parents had been the target of “intense media scrutiny, harassment and threats, including communications expressing a state of physical harm” in recent weeks. As a result, the lawyers demanded that the names of the two people lining up to sign Bankman-Fried’s $250 million bail bond not be disclosed, but simply written on court documents. Bankman-Fried was released on electronic surveillance about two weeks ago at her parents’ home in Palo Alto, California, on the condition that she await trial. The judge invited prosecutors to respond to the letter and said she would decide at a later date.
Ellison and Wang’s confessions concealed until SBF extradition
Carolyn Ellison, 28, who runs Alameda, and Gary Wang, 29, co-founder of FTX, pleaded guilty to fraud charges. They are also collaborating with prosecutors for tolerance. Both are free on bail. His confessions were kept secret until they went live after he was extradited from the Bahamas, where FTX is, for fears that Bankman-Fried might escape.
Shortly before Bankman-Fried appeared in court, US Attorney Damian Williams announced that he had formed a task force in his office of senior prosecutors to investigate and prosecute issues related to FTX’s collapse. He said the task force will also work to track down and recover victim assets.
“The Southern District of New York is working day and night to respond to the explosion of FTX,” Williams said in a press release. A totally hands-on moment on deck. “We are launching the SDNY FTX Task Force to ensure this urgent work continues, powered by all of SDNY’s resources and expertise, until justice is served.”
