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☆ How Sam Bankman-Fried's ex-girlfriend and early recruit helped put the FTX founder behind bars for 25 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesIn sentencing FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to a 25-year prison sentence on Thursday, Judge Lewis Kaplan cited testimony from Caroline Ellison, an ex-girlfriend of the defendant and early recruit into his crypto enterprise. In a Google document from February 2022 shared with the Times, Ellison wrote, "I have been feeling pretty unhappy and overwhelmed with my job. The government presented a series of Signal exchanges involving Bankman-Fried, Ellison, Wang and other top execs. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Prosecutors relied heavily on text messages sent among FTX and Alameda Research executives in the case against Sam Bankman-Fried. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Prosecutors relied heavily on text messages sent among FTX and Alameda Research executives in the case against Sam Bankman-Fried.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Yuki Iwamura, FTX, Sam Bankman, Judge Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, Ellison, FTX spiraled, Damian Williams, she's, Fried, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Jane Rosenberg, SBF Ellison, She'd, Michael Lewis, Caroline, Sam, Lewis, Nishad Singh, Gary Wang, Attorney Thane Rehn, Bankman, Binance, Sam Trabucco, Danielle Sassoon, Wang, SDNY Ellison, Um Organizations: Alameda Research, Bloomberg, Getty, Department of Justice, Manhattan U.S, U.S, District, Federal Court, Reuters, Jane, Stanford, Alameda, The New York Times, Times, Attorney, Google, Alameda's Locations: New York, Manhattan, FTX, New York City, Fried, California, Hong Kong, Bahamas, Alameda

☆ Georgia Lawmakers Approve Tougher Rules on Immigration After Student’s Killing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon | Rick Rojas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Georgia lawmakers voted on Thursday to tighten the state’s already strict immigration laws in response to the killing of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, whose death became ensnared in the broader fight over immigration policy after a man from Venezuela who entered the country illegally was charged with her murder. In the frenzied final hours of the legislative session, the state’s House of Representatives gave final approval to a measure that would require local law enforcement agencies to scrutinize the immigration status of people in their custody and to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The legislation was the result of a vow from Republican lawmakers to crack down after Ms. Riley’s body was found last month in a wooded area on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. Her death rattled the community that is the home of the state’s flagship university, roughly 70 miles from Atlanta. The case quickly reverberated beyond Georgia, with Republicans arguing that her killing exemplified a failure by President Biden to adequately respond to an influx of migrants.

Persons: Laken Riley, Biden Organizations: University of Georgia Locations: Georgia, Venezuela, Athens, Atlanta

So were the page-long passages and the pressure to speed-read them. Optional, and only for taking notes. On Saturday, students in America took the newest version of the SAT, which was shorter, faster — and most notably, all online. Some exams were briefly mired by technical glitches, but even so, many test takers had positive views about the new format. “It’s here to stay,” said Harvey Joiner, 17, a junior at Maynard H. Jackson High School in Atlanta, referring to the digital format.

Persons: “, ”, Harvey Joiner, Maynard H Organizations: Jackson High School Locations: America, Atlanta

☆ Was John Singer Sargent also the first celebrity stylist?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

London CNN —In the spring of 1888, New York socialite Eleanora Iselin welcomed the portrait artist John Singer Sargent into her home, feverish over the question of what she would wear. Despite curating a selection of her best frocks, Eleanor Iselin was captured in her casual day dress at the insistence of Sargent. Working during the rise of haute couture, both Sargent and his subjects were living through a new dawn of fashion. Rachel was styled in a scrap of pink fabric which Sargent manipulated on canvas to become a dress. “Their work was ready-to-wear, using off the (rack) elements of portraiture, whereas with Sargent it always was bespoke.

Persons: Eleanora Iselin, John Singer Sargent, Eager, Iselin, “ Sargent, Eleanor Iselin, Sargent, It’s, James Finch, ”, —, Finch, Margaret Oliphant, Edith Wharton, Gretchen, Rachel Warren, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Rachel, Tate Britain “ He’s, ” Finch, “ He’s, ” Sargent, Sybil Sassoon, couturier Charles Fredrick Worth, Worth, Sassoon, ’ Reframing, Lily, Lily Rose ”, Sybil Sassoon’s, “, they’ve, Ellen Terry, Lady Macbeth, Jai Monaghan, Tate Britain ‘, Sargent’s Organizations: London CNN —, Fashion, Tate, of Art, Tate Britain, CNN, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Fenway Court, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, of Fine Arts, Boston Museum of Fine Arts Locations: New York, Tate Britain, of Art , Washington, London, Scottish, Boston, Worth, Paris

☆ After U. of Georgia Killing, Lawmakers Seek Tougher Immigration Laws
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Jacey Fortin | Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Republican lawmakers in Georgia are pushing to toughen state laws that govern detentions of undocumented migrants after a killing at a college campus sent shock waves through the state. Last Thursday, the body of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old woman, was found in a wooded area on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens. Officials said that Mr. Ibarra and Ms. Riley did not know each other before the encounter that ended in Ms. Riley’s death. As an outpouring of grief ensued in Athens, immigration policies in Georgia have come under renewed scrutiny, with Republican lawmakers looking to exercise more state power over local law enforcement agencies. Mayor Kelly Girtz of Athens-Clarke County has faced criticism from conservatives for his welcoming stance toward migrants, and a bill in the State House that would harden Georgia’s existing laws on immigration has gained new momentum.

Persons: Laken Riley, Jose Antonio Ibarra, Mr, Ibarra, Riley, Mayor Kelly Girtz Organizations: University of Georgia, Republican Locations: Georgia, Athens, Venezuela, Clarke

☆ Arrest of Migrant in Georgia Killing Turns City Into Latest Battleground on Immigration
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Richard Fausset | Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When a 22-year-old nursing student was found dead on a wooded trail at the University of Georgia in what’s believed to be the first homicide on campus in nearly 30 years, it set off waves of grief and fear that shook the university to its core. But when a 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela was charged on Friday with kidnapping and murdering the student, Laken Riley, it did something else: It transformed Athens and Clarke County, a community of about 130,000 people some 70 miles east of Atlanta, into the latest flashpoint in the political fight over American immigration policy. In a social media post on Monday, former President Donald J. Trump called the suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, a “monster,” and blamed President Biden for an “invasion” that is “killing our citizens.” Earlier in the day, at an event at the university, Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia decried “an unwillingness by this White House to secure the southern border.”A third Republican, Representative Mike Collins, who represents Athens, wrote on social media: “The blood of Laken Riley is on the hands of Joe Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas and the government of Athens-Clarke County,” referring to the unified city-county government.

Persons: what’s, Laken Riley, Donald J, Trump, Jose Antonio Ibarra, Biden, Brian Kemp of Georgia, “, Mike Collins, Joe Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas Organizations: University of Georgia, Gov, Republican Locations: Venezuela, Athens, Clarke County, Atlanta, Clarke

A 26-year-old man charged with kidnapping and murdering a nursing student at the University of Georgia in Athens will remain in jail after he was denied bond at a hearing on Saturday, the authorities said. Ms. Riley, a student at nearby Augusta University and a former student at the University of Georgia, had been reported missing by friends after she did not return from a run. Mr. Ibarra, a resident of Athens who is not a U.S. citizen, migrated to the United States from Venezuela, the authorities said. That release, or parole, was a practice the administration used when officials were overwhelmed with high numbers of crossings. Some six million Venezuelans have fled their troubled country, the largest population displacement in Latin America’s modern history.

Persons: Jose Antonio Ibarra, Laken Riley, Jeffrey Clark, Riley, Ibarra Organizations: University of Georgia, Augusta University, Border Patrol Locations: Athens, U.S, United States, Venezuela

There had been plenty during his seven years in office: a deadly, devastating tornado; the coronavirus pandemic; neglected roads that the city could not afford to fix. But Smiths Station pulled through. Mr. Copeland had devised a plan to pay for repaving roads. Many in the city would have welcomed it. Then, on Nov. 3, sheriff’s deputies, who had been called by worried friends of Mr. Copeland to check on him, trailed him until he pulled over miles from Smiths Station and fatally shot himself.

Persons: F.L, Copeland Jr, Bubba, Copeland, Copeland’s Organizations: Smiths, Sims, Smiths Station Locations: Ala, Alabama

☆ Many Israelis Are Refugees From Arab Lands
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Edward Meir | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Review and Outlook: The Secretary-General abandons Israel, a state the U.N. helped to create. Images: Zuma Press/AP/Getty Images Composite: Mark KellyAs people around the world demonstrate for Palestinian rights, we shouldn’t overlook another group of Middle Eastern refugees who also have suffered for decades but whose plight is seldom discussed: the displaced Jewish refugees from Arab lands. By 1948 an estimated 135,000 Jews lived in Baghdad, comprising one-third of the city’s population—more Jews by proportion than Warsaw or New York at the time. Iraq’s first finance minister, Sassoon Eskell , was Jewish. He insisted that the British pay for Iraq’s oil in gold rather than pounds sterling, a prescient move that salvaged the country’s finances after sterling crumbled.

Persons: Israel, Mark Kelly, Cyrus the Great, Iraq’s, Sassoon Organizations: Zuma Press Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, Warsaw, New York

☆ Starbursts, smuggled coffee and Martin Shkreli: How CNBC reported the Sam Bankman-Fried trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

Artist: Elizabeth WilliamsJust before 8 p.m. on Thursday, 12 jurors found Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of all seven counts against him. (CNBC put out a note requesting access ahead of the trial — an email which was ultimately ignored.) Every exit to file a report included another breakneck trip through security, in a sort of run, rinse, repeat cycle — security, courtroom, exit, photographer's car to file, back up through security, over and over again. CNBC correspondent MacKenzie Sigalos reporting on the Sam Bankman-Fried trial from outside the SDNY courthouse at 500 Pearl Street in downtown Manhattan. Around 8:02 p.m., Bankman-Fried, speechless, began to walk to a room just adjacent to the main court.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Elizabeth Williams, Fried, MacKenzie Sigalos, Dan Mangan, Martin Shkreli, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Michael Lewis, Lewis, Indiana Jones, Ben McKenzie, McKenzie, Damian Williams, They'd, Danielle Sassoon, Jane Rosenberg, Joe Bankman, Barbara Fried, Joseph Bankman, Brendan Mcdermid, gaunt, Kaplan, Bankman, Mark Cohen, Judge Kaplan, blankly, Christian Everdell, Cohen Organizations: Alameda Research, Southern, of, CNBC, Auburn University totebag, Capitalism, U.S, Federal Court Locations: of New York, San Francisco, Vegas, Georgia, Manhattan, Indiana, New York City, U.S

☆ Three hours to guilty: How the government nailed Sam Bankman-Fried
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

David Dee Delgado | ReutersIn Sam Bankman-Fried's fraud trial, prosecutors won quickly by keeping it simple. "While the cryptocurrency industry might be new and the players like Sam Bankman-Fried might be new, this kind of corruption is as old as time," Williams said. Sam Bankman-Fried's parents, seated to the left, react to the verdict. "Sam Bankman-Fried will be remembered as one of the biggest fraudsters of our lifetimes," Mariotti said. WATCH: Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty on all seven counts

Persons: Sam Bankman, David Dee Delgado, CNBC they'd, Yesha Yadav, Fried, Nicolas Roos, Danielle Sassoon, Crypto, Roos, Sassoon, Marc, Antoine Julliard, Renato Mariotti, who's, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Damian Williams, Williams, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Sorkin, that's, It's, SBF, Mariotti, Paul Tuchmann, Wiggin, Dana, Tuchmann, Elizabeth Williams, Caroline Ellison, Bankman, Ellison, James Koutoulas, Koutoulas, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, FTX coder Adam Yedidia, FTX's, Sun, Kevin J, O'Brien, Mark Cohen Organizations: FTX, Manhattan, Reuters, CNBC, Vanderbilt University ., U.S . Justice Department's Securities, Commodities, Southern, of, Prosecutors, Stanford, Alameda Research, New York Times DealBook, Washington , D.C, U.S, Justice Department, Trading Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission Locations: New York City, London, Chicago, U.S, of New York, Alameda, Washington ,, Bankman, New York

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried faces over 100 years in prison at sentencing. Experts weigh in on how much time he'll actually get
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A jury of twelve found FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of all seven criminal charges brought against him. The question of how long he'll remain in prison, however, is one that Judge Lewis Kaplan will spend the next few months deliberating by himself. "So I should preface this by saying I'm not a lawyer," Bankman-Fried began one answer. After several dozen of these instances, the government often presented evidence that would either directly refute the defendant's testimony or offer an answer to the question Bankman-Fried had dodged. So now, the question of prison time goes to Judge Kaplan.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, Judge Kaplan, I'm, Fried, FTX, Danielle Sassoon, wasn't Organizations: Southern, of, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CNBC Locations: of New York, Manhattan, Alameda, FTX

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried tried to pin his fraud scheme on his closest friends. Then they turned on him for it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

A jury found Sam Bankman-Fried guilty in his fraud trial over the collapse of FTX. One by one, his friends flipped to work with the prosecution and threw Bankman-Fried under a much bigger bus. That's how a jury found him guilty of seven counts in his federal fraud trial in downtown Manhattan on Thursday evening. AdvertisementAdvertisementSingh, for example, testified he was "blindsided and horrified" when he found out in November that Alameda had used FTX customer money. The sentencing schedule may depend on a second criminal trial Bankman-Fried faces for alleged illegal campaign contributions.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, SBF, —, FTX, –, Nicolas Roos, Jim Angel, Angel, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Bankman, Singh, blindsided, Ellison, Sam, Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, Wang, Singh —, Mark Cohen, Cohen, who'd, Adam Yedidia, Sun, deflating, they're, Chelsea Jia Feng, Danielle Sassoon, Roos Organizations: Service, Prosecutors, MIT, Georgetown, Financial Markets, Alameda, Bankman Locations: FTX, Alameda, Manhattan, Bankman

☆ Who is former crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Samantha Delouya | Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York (CNN) — Sam Bankman-Fried, once known as a cryptocurrency whiz kid, was found guilty on Thursday for his role in the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. His entrepreneurial drive didn’t stop there: In 2019, Bankman-Fried co-founded cryptocurrency exchange FTX and became its CEO. In December 2022, Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas after US prosecutors filed criminal charges against him. Jane Rosenberg/ReutersBankman-Fried was found guilty of stealing billions of dollars from accounts belonging to customers of his once-high-flying crypto exchange FTX. Immediately following FTX’s crash, crypto exchange Gemini, which was founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, froze customer redemptions in its lending unit, citing market turmoil.

Persons: — Sam Bankman, FTX, Jane Street, ”, Fried, “, …, ” Sam Bankman, Erika P, Rodriguez, Jane, Caroline Ellison, Binance, Sam Bankman, Danielle Sassoon, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Jane Rosenberg, Joe Bankman, Barbara Fried, Bankman, Allan Joseph Bankman, Yuki Iwamura, Samuel Bankman, Saul Loeb, ingratiated, Tom Brady, Stephen Curry, Naomi Osaka, Larry David, Cameron, Tyler Winklevoss Organizations: CNN, Jane, Capital, MIT, Alameda Research, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service, SoftBank, U.S, District, Reuters, Bloomberg, Royal Bahamas Police Force, Billionaire, Stanford, FTX, Getty, Democratic Party, Federal, Commission, Republican, Agriculture, Nutrition, Forestry, Miami Heat, ”, New Locations: York, Alameda, North Berkeley , California, Nassau, Bahamas, BlackRock, Bankman, Hong Kong, United States, FTT, New York City, U.S, FTX, New York, Washington ,

☆ The 5 most memorable moments from the Sam Bankman-Fried trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty Thursday following a monthlong trial that was almost as wild as the rapid rise and fall of cryptocurrency exchange FTX itself. He was found guilty of stealing billions of dollars from accounts belonging to customers of FTX. During the trial, Bankman-Fried took the unusual – and risky – decision to testify in his own defense. “I was kind of busy and lazy and didn’t bother getting a haircut for long periods of time,” Bankman-Fried said. “No offense to the Kansas City Royals, but we didn’t want to be known as the Kansas City Royals of crypto exchanges,” SBF testified.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Bernie Madoff’s, Caroline Ellison, SBF’s, Mark Cohen, ” Cohen, “, ”, Cohen, SBF, Ellison, ” SBF, Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan interjected, Bankman, Danielle Sassoon, …, Sassoon, ’ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Miami Heat, American Airlines, FTX, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, Kaseya, PR, Alameda Locations: New York, FTX, Bahamas, United States, Kansas City, Bankman, China, Alameda

After Kaplan left the courtroom, Cohen put his arm around Bankman-Fried as they spoke at the defense table. He testified that while he made mistakes running FTX, such as not formulating a risk-management team, he did not steal customer funds. "We thought that we might be able to build the best product on the market," Bankman-Fried testified. The defense argued the three, who have not yet been sentenced, falsely implicated Bankman-Fried in a bid to win leniency at sentencing. Bankman-Fried has been jailed since August after Kaplan revoked his bail, having concluded he likely tampered with witnesses.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Bankman, FTX, Damian Williams, Williams, Bernie Madoff, Jordan Belfort, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Mark Cohen, Kaplan, Cohen, nodded, Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Fried's, Danielle Sassoon, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Luc Cohen, Jody Godoy, Will Dunham, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S . Justice, U.S, District, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Marshals, Stanford Law, Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Former Alameda, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Bankman, New York City, U.S, FTX, Alameda, New York, Lincoln

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York jury began deliberating on Thursday whether FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was guilty of fraud in the disappearance of billions of dollars from his customers’ accounts on the cryptocurrency exchange he created four years ago. The Manhattan federal court jury began its work after a judge explained the law that will steer them through seven charges lodged against the California man. Bankman-Fried, 31, testified during the monthlong trial that he did not defraud thousands of investors worldwide. Earlier Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon delivered a rebuttal argument, the last of closing arguments that began a day earlier. “When Sam testified before you, he told you the truth, the messy truth, that in the real world miscommunications happen, mistakes happen, delays happen,” Cohen said.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, He’s, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, he'd, Palo, Danielle Sassoon, ” Sassoon, FTX, “, Mark Cohen, ” Cohen, Sam, ” Organizations: U.S, Alameda Research Locations: York, Manhattan, California, New York, Bahamas, Palo Alto , California, Alameda

☆ Sam Bankman Fried’s fate is now officially in the hands of 12 jurors
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Sam Bankman-Fried’s fate is now officially in the hands of a jury of his peers. Chief among those errors, according to his own testimony, was was not hiring a dedicated risk management team. “I made a number of small mistakes and a number of larger mistakes,” Bankman-Fried said on the stand last week. Although Bankman-Fried made mistakes, he never defrauded anyone, Cohen told jurors. “Poor risk management is not a crime.”Bankman-Fried’s parents, Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman, were both in the courtroom again Thursday.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, Fried, ”, They’ve, “, Danielle Sassoon, Mark Cohen, Cohen, ” Cohen, Barbara Fried, Joseph Bankman, Bankman, — Sabrina Souza Organizations: New, New York CNN, Prosecutors, Alameda Research Locations: New York, Manhattan, FTX, Alameda

☆ Jury Begins Deliberations for a Verdict in Sam Bankman-Fried’s Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( J. Edward Moreno | More About J. Edward Moreno | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jurors have sat through his trial for nearly a month now, hearing from witnesses including some of Mr. Bankman-Fried’s closest associates, who placed blame squarely on him. On Wednesday, closing arguments were made by a federal prosecutor, Nicolas Roos, and Mr. Bankman-Fried’s lawyer, Mark Cohen. In his closing statements, Mr. Roos reminded the jury of the evidence and testimony from witnesses who said Mr. Bankman-Fried had directed them to commit crimes. Mr. Cohen sought to portray his client as someone who acted in good faith but made mistakes. He has held the trial on some Fridays, which the jury usually has off, and has been willing to hold jurors past 4:30 p.m., when they are usually relieved.

Persons: Bankman, Nicolas Roos, Mark Cohen, Danielle Sassoon, Cohen’s, Roos, Fried, Cohen, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, Judge Kaplan

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers Seek to Regain Ground in FTX Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Corinne Ramey | James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried said repeatedly from the witness stand that he couldn’t recall many of his past statements. Photo: jane rosenberg/ReutersSam Bankman-Fried ’s lawyers rested their case Tuesday after seeking to rehabilitate the FTX founder’s credibility from the prosecutors’ two-day grilling. Bankman-Fried, dressed in a gray suit, floundered through the end of Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon’s cross-examination.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, jane rosenberg, Reuters Sam Bankman, Danielle Sassoon’s Organizations: Reuters, U.S

REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Champion Trust Llc FollowNEW YORK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's fraud trial is in the homestretch, with U.S. prosecutors and defense lawyers expected on Wednesday to present closing arguments to jurors over whether the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder stole billions of dollars from customers. Prosecutors have accused him of stealing $8 billion in one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history. During his second day of testimony on Monday - when the prosecution began its cross-examination - Bankman-Fried said "I don't recall" at least 28 times. Closing arguments probably will take several hours, and jurors are not expected to get the case before Thursday. He has been jailed since August after Kaplan revoked his bail, having concluded that he likely tampered with witnesses.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Danielle Sassoon, Jane Rosenberg, FTX, Mark Cohen, Sassoon, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, Luc Cohen, Will Dunham Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Alameda Research, Prosecutors, District, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Manhattan, Alameda, FTX, New York

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried built crypto empire on 'pyramid of deceit,' prosecutors say in closing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried leaves Manhattan Federal Court after a court appearance on June 15, 2023 in New York City. The main thing the jury has to decide, Roos said, is whether Bankman-Fried knew that taking the money was wrong. "It was uncomfortable to hear," Roos said, adding that Bankman-Fried said "I can't recall" over 140 times during questioning by the government. Roos said Bankman-Fried is the one who gave special privileges to Alameda, which he started before founding FTX, allowing it to siphon customer money. In referencing the Super Bowl picture with Katy Perry and others, Roos called Bankman-Fried a "celebrity chaser."

Persons: Sam Bankman, Michael M, they've, FTX, Nicolas Roos, Roos, there's, Fried, Caroline Ellison, Bankman, Gary Wang, Danielle Sassoon, Jane Rosenberg, Mark Cohen, he'd, Judge Lewis Kaplan, Ellison, didn't, Singh, Katy Perry, —, Dawn Giel Organizations: Santiago, Getty, Prosecutors, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Alameda Research, Reuters, Miami Heat, MIT, FTX, Skybridge Locations: Manhattan, New York City, Alameda, U.S, California, Hong Kong, Roos's, Bahamas, Bankman

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried lied under oath to shape his story around ex-friends who testified against him, prosecutors say in scathing closing argument
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Prosecutors say Sam Bankman-Fried lied under oath on the witness stand. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn closing arguments for Sam Bankman-Fried's criminal trial Wednesday, prosecutors say the disgraced cryptocurrency mogul repeatedly lied on the witness stand. Prosecutors allege Bankman-Fried defrauded millions of FTX customers by stealing their deposits and using them for Alameda. He used the money, prosecutors say, for personal investments, to repay loans, in extravagant advertising, to buy properties around the world, and for political donations. AdvertisementAdvertisementAlameda's account on FTX, Roos pointed out, did not even have the spot-margin trading option enabled.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, —, he's, Nicholas Roos, Roos, Mark Cohen, Danielle Sassoon, — Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Nashad Singh —, Ryan Salame, Adam Yedidia, Sun Organizations: Service, MIT, Alameda Research, Miami Heat, Prosecutors Locations: Manhattan, Bankman, Alameda, FTX, Washington

In a courtroom sketch, Judge Lewis Kaplan watches as FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried testifies earlier in his fraud trial. Photo: jane rosenberg/ReutersSam Bankman-Fried faced his biggest test in the legal hot seat Monday, grilled by a federal prosecutor who was intent on poking holes through the FTX founder’s claims that unfortunate management mistakes, not criminal activity, were to blame for the crypto exchange’s collapse. The fallen crypto star, testifying in his own defense in New York against fraud and other charges, began by confidently answering questions from his own lawyer, saying he had been honest with customers and investors and believed his business empire was in good financial shape. The trial proceedings shifted quickly after Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon began her cross-examination and sought to confront Bankman-Fried with a litany of his past public statements whose truthfulness she questioned.

Persons: Lewis Kaplan, Sam Bankman, Fried, jane rosenberg, Reuters Sam Bankman, Danielle Sassoon, Bankman Organizations: Reuters, U.S Locations: New York

Bankman-Fried testified that he wasn't aware of the amount Alameda was borrowing from FTX, or its theoretical max. Prosecutors entered corroborating materials, including encrypted Signal messages and other internal documents that appear to show Bankman-Fried orchestrating the spending of FTX customer money. Similarly, Bankman-Fried testified that he believed the lavish Bahamas properties were being paid for with FTX operating cash that came from revenue and venture investments. The market had already dropped 70% and if it fell another 50%, he was afraid the firm would be insolvent, Bankman-Fried told the jury. In September, he checked in again with Ellison about the hedging activity, Bankman-Fried testified.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Fatih Aktas, that's, Caroline Ellison, Mark Cohen's, Cohen, FTX, Danielle Sassoon, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Jane Rosenberg, —, Ellison, Sam, Nishad Singh, Gary Wang, Prosecutors, who'd, Michael M, Bankman, wasn't, Alameda, Singh, Shorter, Dawn Giel Organizations: Federal Court, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Alameda Research, U.S, District, Reuters, Stanford University, Alameda, Facebook, Google, Santiago Locations: New York, United States, Manhattan, Bankman, Alameda, Bahamas, New York City, U.S

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