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☆ Tycoon’s death penalty in $12.5 billion fraud case highlights Vietnam’s corruption crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The scale of the fraud was said to be equivalent to roughly 3% of Vietnam’s economy. Though widely considered ceremonial, the presidency is one of the top three positions in Vietnam’s political hierarchy after the CPV’s Secretary General, currently Nguyen Phu Trong. In fact, the International Monetary Fund expects Vietnam’s economy to grow by 5.8% this year, compared to 4.6% for China. Their fate remains unclear, given the highly secretive nature of Vietnam’s political system. But Vietnamese political experts said a permanent appointment would not end the instability.

Persons: Truong My Lan, Van Thinh, siphoned, “, Eric Chu, Vietnam’s, Vo Van, Trong, Thuong, Vo Van Thuong, Richard A, Brooks, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Pham Binh, Le Hong Hiep, Yusof, ” Hiep, ”, Thu, General Trong, Xi Jinping, ” Zachary Abuza, Salt Bae, Lam, ” Abuza, Nguyen Phu Trong, Evelyn Hockstein, Abuza, Bui Thanh Soh, ” Soh, Vo, Xuan, Thuong’s, Le Hong Organizations: CNN, Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, Stock Commercial Bank, Reuters, SCB, Express, Communist Party, Institute, Crisis Group, National War College, Vietnamese Communist Party, Public Security, Vietnam, International Monetary Fund, Companies, Apple, Intel, Vietnam's Communist Party General, Yusof, Brookings Institution, “, Crisis Locations: Vietnam, Saigon, People’s, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Duc, Singapore, Asia, China, Washington, “, London, Turkish, Hanoi, Bangkok

☆ OpenAI strikes deals with more major news publishers, posing a threat to Google's dominance
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The ChatGPT maker announced this week it had struck partnerships with two major European media organizations: France's Le Monde and Spain's Prisa Media. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. This is a "threat" to GooglePublishers who've signed agreements with OpenAI say they hope the partnerships will bring new life to their business. By wooing users with a better interface, OpenAI could threaten Google's dominance over online search, Zaman said. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: —, OpenAI, Brad Lightcap, Axel Springer, Roger Lynch, Condé Nast, Google Publishers who've, Le Monde, Tauhid Zaman, Zaman, Hugh Martin Organizations: Service, Prisa, Business, Politico, CNN, Fox Corp, Bloomberg, ChatGPT, Yorker, Wired, The New York Times, Microsoft, Google Publishers, Google, Facebook, Media, Yale School of Management, Publishers, Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University Locations: OpenAI

☆ Explainer-How the West Might Use Russia's Frozen Reserves
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Here are some of the ideas that have been suggested:CONFISCATIONSome international policymakers and lawyers say the immobilised Russian reserves can simply be confiscated under a doctrine of international law known as "countermeasures". Some in the bloc are still wary, though, and the European Central Bank has warned that claiming the trapped Russian assets should only be done in tandem with G7 powers. The bondholders would not have a contractual claim on the Kremlin’s frozen reserves. Ukraine would have a plausible way to collect on any damages awarded up to the value of the reserves. If Moscow refused to pay the damages, the allies could then use Russia’s frozen assets to pay off the loan.

Persons: Marc Jones, Lee Buchheit, Daleep Singh, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Marc Jones LONDON, Emergency Economic, U.S, European Central Bank Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kuwait, United States, EU, Russian, Brussels, Belgium, U.S, Britain, China, Hong Kong, Dubai, Moscow

☆ Zong Qinghou, Beverage Tycoon in China, Dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Tiffany May | Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Zong Qinghou, a self-made beverage entrepreneur who was once the richest person in China, died on Sunday. His death was announced by his company, Wahaha Group, which said that Mr. Zong had died from an unspecified illness and gave his age as 79. Mr. Zong’s rags-to-riches story had made him prominent in China even before a public feud with his foreign business partner considerably raised his profile — and his wealth. He founded a beverage company in the 1980s, and in the 1990s, he partnered with Danone, the French food giant, to launch one of the best-known food and beverage brands in China. But tensions erupted in 2007 when Danone accused Mr. Zong of running secret companies selling virtually identical products that siphoned off as much as $100 million from the joint venture.

Persons: Zong Qinghou, Zong Organizations: Wahaha, Danone Locations: China

☆ Xi Jinping's high-rank purges show a 'systemic rot' in China's military that could threaten its readiness for war: senior US official
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China's latest military purge shows that it's suffering from more than just graft, a senior US official said. It's likely the PLA's corruption had a material effect on its war capabilities, said Ely Ratner. But, according to Ratner, Xi's latest military purge indicated a more serious problem. Xi's anti-corruption sweep last year extended as high as China's defense minister, Li Shangfu, who was replaced in October. Several top commanders were also fired from China's Rocket Force, a branch that Xi has emphasized as key to Beijing's strength.

Persons: It's, Ely Ratner, Ratner, —, Ryan Evans, Xi Jinping, ", Xi's, Li Shangfu, Xi, hotpot Organizations: Service, Pacific Security Affairs, People's Liberation Army, Communist Party, China's, Force, Bloomberg, PLA, Radio Free, Defense, China Task Force, International Institute for Strategic Studies Locations: Beijing, China, Switzerland

☆ Boeing Disaster Proves Americans Businesses Greedy Mentality Is Broken
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

They expose decades of American corporate philosophy gone awry. A good American company isn’t just a vehicle for financial returns; it is first and foremost an employer, a contributor to economic and/or technological innovation, and a source of US power. But it’s clear that what Boeing — and the entire American corporate body politic — needs is nothing short of a philosophical counterrevolution. Over these three decades of plenty for Boeing’s shareholders, the company’s staff was asked to penny-pinch. Boeing’s stock cratered, and France’s Airbus , a rival once colloquially known as “Scare Bus,” started to eat the American company’s lunch .

Persons: it’s, could’ve, William Lazonick, “, It’s, won’t, William McGee, T.A, Wilson, Frank Shrontz, Max, Peter Robison, —, ”, Dave Calhoun, we’ve, Scott Kirby, hasn’t, “ We’re, Lazonick, wasn’t, Milton Friedman, Michael Jensen, Jensen, nary, Jack Welch, Welch, Wall, ” Lazonick, We’ve, Mary Barra, ” McGee Organizations: Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Investments, University of Massachusetts, ”, NASA, Airbus, Alaska Airlines Max, Wall, United Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, CNBC, Washington, University of Chicago, Electric, Wall Street, GE, Dow Jones, Securities and Exchange Commission, Reality Labs, Deutsche Bank, Business, General Motors, United Auto Workers, Companies, GM, & $ Locations: Washington, America

☆ Meet the Man Behind Litquidity, the Anonymous Instagram Account Dominating Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Reed Alexander | Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

The deck kicked off a game of one-upmanship among Wall Street banks trying to keep their employees happy. Lit capitalized on poking fun at Wall Street culture, selling $35 dad hats that read, "Do You Know Who My Father Is?" There have, of course, been endless rumors about Lit's identity, especially among Wall Street underlings. Wall Street underlings have speculated about Litquidity's identity for years. Basak, one attendee said, wanted to take a "wrecking ball through it all" and hold Wall Street heavy hitters accountable.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, I've, David Solomon, Litquidity, Goldman, Solomon, Evercore, Michael Kovac, Lit, Warburg Pincus, Jamie Dimon, Jamie Dimon's, Banksy, Bennett Jordan, who've, Lit's, — Mark Moran, —, Jefferies, Richard Handler, Spencer Platt, Isaac Laifer, Laifer, Handler, We'd, Henry, Hank, Medina, He's, he's, Jefferies Medina, Bart P, Fuchs, Karl Smith, Mark Moran, Moran, Bloomberg he'd, Zack DeZon, Getty Images Moran, Brian Hanly, Hanly, Sonali Basak, Angela Weiss, cryptocurrency, we'll, Mark, Medina's, weren't, CoinFLEX, Litquidity doesn't, Dave Portnoy, wasn't, Medina Ayden Syal, Kyle Zappitell, Zappitell, he'd, hasn't, Bennett Jordan —, Craig Sjodin, Litney, Paul Argenti, Wall Organizations: Goldman, New York Times, CNBC, Business, Bloomberg, Metropolitan Club of New, Nomura, Citigroup, Financial Times, Litney Partners, Whitney Partners, BI, ESPN, Litquidity, Centerview Partners, New York, Getty, Bain Capital, Litquidity Venture Partners, SEC, Cornell University, Wexford Capital —, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche, CFA, Getty Images, Bullish, Vice, Wall Street, Litquidity's, Manhattan's Rue, Fox Business, Litquidity Ventures, Coatue Management, SAFE, Soho House, Dartmouth University Locations: New York, Tribeca, Metropolitan Club of New York, Instagram, San Francisco, Medina, New York City, Miami, NoHo, Chad, Connecticut, Litquidity, Linktree, Soho

☆ Opinion | Inside Trump’s Not-So-Swift Brain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Maureen Dowd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It’s easy to imagine what’s going through Donald Trump’s head right now. The thoughts pinballing through Trump’s cortex might be something like this:“I like Taylor Swift. She’s beautiful, just my type, unlike that wack job E. Jean Carroll and her sick lawyer, Roberta Kaplan. “I’ll tell you what: The idea that Taylor Swift is more popular than me is a joke. Oh, what a beautiful day that was.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, He’s fulminating, Nikki Haley, Taylor Swift, She’s, Jean Carroll, Roberta Kaplan, “ Rachel Maddow, Jean, Rachel, “, Swifties Organizations: New, Capitol Locations: Mar, New Hampshire

(AP) — A federal appeals court has ordered the appointment of an independent examiner in the bankruptcy case of FTX amid concerns about widespread fraud preceding the collapse of the multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency exchange. A three-judge panel in Philadelphia issued the ruling Friday in an appeal filed by the U.S. bankruptcy trustee, who serves as a government watchdog in Chapter 11 reorganizations. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John Dorsey denied the trustee’s request last February. The appeals court reversed Dorsey’s ruling, agreeing with the trustee that the bankruptcy code mandates the appointment of an examiner. “Such is the case here.”Restrepo also noted that an examiner is required to make his or her findings public, whereas a debtor or creditors committee conducting an internal investigation has no such obligation.

Persons: John Dorsey, Dorsey, John Ray III, FTX, Sam Bankman, Fried, Prosecutors, ”, Luis Felipe Restrepo, ” Restrepo Organizations: —, U.S, FTX, Alameda Research Locations: Del, Philadelphia, FTX

Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesZelenskyy is following that up with his first trip to Davos as president after speaking by video in previous years. The corporate chiefs will hear “what kind of immediate assistance is needed” and lay out how private and public sectors can help Ukraine rebuild one day, forum organizers say. The session will draw NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and U.S. envoy for Ukraine's economic recovery, Penny Pritzker, among others. While the geopolitical situation has oozed gloom, businesses appear more hopeful — in part from prospects that artificial intelligence can help boost productivity. Leading Western stock indexes shot up in 2023, and falling inflation raised hopes of a decline in interest rates.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Jordan, Premier Li Qiang, Ursula von der Leyen, Jake Sullivan, Donald Trump —, Putin —, White, Viola Amherd, Jens Stoltenberg, Robert Habeck, Penny Pritzker, Gitanas Nauseda, José Manuel Albares Bueno, Satya Nadella — Organizations: European Union, Russia, Hamas, Premier, United States, Ukraine, —, Bruins, Spanish, Microsoft Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, Swiss, Davos, United States, China, Qatar, Zelenskyy, Russia, Bern, Ukraine, ”, East, Europe

☆ Heroes to zeroes in 12 months: How the two biggest crypto billionaire CEOs proved the critics right
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-30 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Combination showing Former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (L) and Zhao Changpeng (R), founder and chief executive officer of Binance. Meanwhile, Solana is nearly 10x higher in the last 12 months, and bitcoin miner Marathon Digital has also skyrocketed. That same year, Bankman-Fried earned street cred in crypto circles for his bitcoin arbitrage trading strategy, dubbed the Kimchi swap. The relationship between Zhao and Bankman-Fried began to sour a few months after they met. In Nov. 2022, a fight between Bankman-Fried and CZ on Twitter, now known as X, pulled the mask off the scheme.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Zhao Changpeng, Bitcoin, Solana, Binance's, Zhao, FTX's Sam Bankman, Fried, JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, bitcoin, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Elizabeth Warren, execs, Renato Mariotti, Michael Lewis, Sam, gunning, Lewis, SBF, Binance, FTX, Goldman Sachs, General Merrick Garland, Garland, Amr Alfiky Organizations: Marathon, JPMorgan, Microsoft, Capitol, Department of Justice, U.S . Justice Department's Securities, Commodities, CZ, Alameda Research, Formula, Democratic, Twitter, Emergency Economic, U.S ., Futures Trading Commission, Treasury Department, Securities, Exchange Commission, Justice Department, DOJ, Reuters Locations: Hong Kong, Singapore, Bankman, FTX, Miami, Washington, Alameda, U.S, New York City

☆ The ETF flowdown: 2023 is back on pace to be a solid year
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-15 | by ( Kirsten Chang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowDespite a sluggish start to the year, a record number of product launches and a red-hot November have put 2023 back on pace to be a solid year for ETFs. Roughly $1 trillion has gone into money market funds this year, but some are questioning whether the solid year-end stock rally will attract some of those flows back into equities. "You saw that enormous cash pileup going into money markets, and ETF flows were muted. "We talked about the money market funds," he said. He pointed to strong inflows into high-yield ETFs such as the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) and SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (JNK) and SPDR Bloomberg Short Term High Yield Bond ETF (SJNK) — along with dividend ETFs such as the Pacer U.S. Cash Cows 100 ETF (COWZ).

Persons: Ben Slavin, BNY Mellon, CNBC's, Andrew McOrmond, McOrmond, it'll, SPDR, Slavin Organizations: BNY, WallachBeth, SPDR Bloomberg, Pacer, Cash, Tech, RSP Locations: outflows

☆ Supreme Court questions opioid liability protections for Sackler family
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — Members of the Supreme Court seemed conflicted on Monday over whether to allow the bankruptcy reorganization of opioid maker Purdue Pharma, which includes a provision that protects the Sackler family from liability from future lawsuits. During the oral argument, justices expressed skepticism that a bankruptcy court had legal authority to release the Sacklers from potential legal claims. No Sackler family member has had any involvement in the company since 2019. The company sought bankruptcy protection, but the Sackler family members did not. She added that it would be "an extraordinary thing" if the court allowed the family to "basically subvert" the bankruptcy process.

Persons: Sackler, Pharm, Biden, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan's, Kagan, Pratik Shah, Elizabeth Prelogar Organizations: WASHINGTON, Purdue Pharma, New York's Southern, Federal Court, Purdue Locations: New York's, White Plains

☆ Donations to Hamas-linked charities spike 70% since Oct. 7 attack, Israeli officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Jason Gewirtz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

"We saw a 70% increase in money given to Hamas-linked charities," said Uzi Shaya, a former high-ranking officer in Mossad, Israel's intelligence service. Charities suspected of funneling money to Hamas often change their names, too, making them all the more difficult to monitor. Israel's National Bureau of Counter Terror Financing maintains a list of charitable organizations that it accuses of directly aiding Hamas' military. Hard lessonsEnsuring that individual Gazans have economic opportunity without simultaneously funding Hamas militants has proven to be a difficult challenge for Israel. Beyond direct funding, Israel also allowed 18,000 Gazans to enter Israel to work, again hoping that a stable economy would pacify Hamas.

Persons: John Macdougall, Uzi Shaya, Shaya, Din, Akin, Hawala, Israel, Karim Jaafar, Israel haven't, Binance, —, Al, Adel Hana, Fadel Senna Organizations: Hamas, West Bank, AFP, Getty, Israeli Defense and Foreign Ministry, CNBC, Foreign Ministry, Islamic, Bureau of, Qatari Red Crescent, Gaza, Qatar Emiri Air Force, International Airport, Palestinian, Treasury Department Locations: Ramallah, Israel, Gaza, Islamic Jihad, Lebanon, Iran, Hawala, North Sinai, Egypt, U.S, Gaza City, Adel Hana An Israeli, Sderot

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has told Israel that it must work to avoid “significant further displacement” of Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza if it renews its ground campaign aimed at eradicating the Hamas militant group, senior U.S. officials said. The Israelis have been receptive when administration officials have raised these concerns, the official said. The two sides agreed Monday to extend the truce for an additional two days and to continue swapping hostages for prisoners. It will be his third trip to the region since Israel’s war with Hamas began last month. The aid is to be delivered into Gaza by the United Nations.

Persons: —, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, White, Israeli Defense Forces, State Department, Hamas, Ministry, Biden, United, World Health Organization, United Nations Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S, United Nations, Egypt

In public, the company has announced its staggering growth with a steady cadence of news releases. But in classified American intelligence channels, there have been more concerning reports about the company. and other American spy agencies have issued warnings about G42’s work with large Chinese companies that U.S. officials consider security threats, including Huawei, the telecommunications giant that is under U.S. sanctions. U.S. officials fear G42 could be a conduit by which advanced American technology is siphoned to Chinese companies or the government. The intelligence reports have also warned that G42’s dealings with Chinese firms could be a pipeline to get the genetic data of millions of Americans and others into the hands of the Chinese government, according to two officials familiar with the reports.

Persons: Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Jake Sullivan Organizations: United Arab, White House, AstraZeneca, OpenAI, Huawei Locations: United Arab Emirates, China, Silicon, U.S

☆ Ransomware targets will pay one way or another
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Anita Ramaswamy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The White House has even considered an outright ban on firms making ransom payments. If companies can’t pay ransom, there’s no point in asking for it. ICBC’s self-identified attacker, a gang of digital extortionists called Lockbit, says ICBC paid up. Follow @AnitaRamaswamy on XCONTEXT NEWSThe Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s U.S. arm was hit by a ransomware attack that disrupted some trades in the U.S. Treasury market on Nov. 9. A senior White House official said on Oct. 31 that the U.S. government planned to lead an alliance of 40 countries in a pledge to never pay ransom to cybercriminals.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, cybercriminals, it’s, there’s, ICBC, –, reckons, John Foley, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Reuters, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, SS, Treasuries, Companies, Caesars Entertainment, Commercial Bank of China’s, U.S . Treasury, White House, ., Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, Commercial Bank of China’s U.S

☆ How Santos Spent Donors’ Money: Ferragamo, OnlyFans and Botox
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | More About Nicholas Fandos | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He had just flipped a Long Island congressional seat, improbably helping deliver Republicans a House majority. Over just a few days last November, Mr. Santos dropped $6,000 at Ferragamo, perhaps some of it on the red designer sneakers he later wore to walk the marble halls of Congress. He paid off his rent, and he pulled out another $1,000 in spending money at an A.T.M. It would have been nothing for the kind of wealthy financier Mr. Santos purported to be on the campaign trail. All of it was being illegally funded by Mr. Santos’s congressional campaign, which wired him $20,000 just after Thanksgiving without ever telling campaign donors or the Federal Election Commission.

Persons: George Santos, Santos, Santos siphoned, propping Organizations: Mr, Commission Locations: Ferragamo, Queens

☆ Breakingviews: SBF’s guilty verdict will help crypto break free
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Anita Ramaswamy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Nov 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Just over a year ago, Sam Bankman-Fried might have been counting his large stash of virtual coins. A Manhattan jury on Thursday convicted the FTX founder of seven counts related to crimes he committed at the helm of the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange. With some $8 billion in customer funds stolen, his misdeeds will go down as one of the biggest financial frauds on record. To be sure, the speculative bubble in crypto would probably have deflated even without Bankman-Fried. The bankrupt exchange is also negotiating with three bidders to help it relaunch trading services, Bloomberg reported last month.

Persons: Lewis Kaplan, Sam Bankman, Fried, Jane Rosenberg, FTX, John J, Ray III, Nicolas Roos, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Galaxy Digital, Three, BlackRock, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Manhattan

☆ Jailed former Malaysian PM Najib in hospital with COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak attends a news conference at the Federal Court in Putrajaya, Malaysia August 16, 2022. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain Acquire Licensing RightsKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Malaysia's jailed former prime minister Najib Razak has been admitted to a hospital after testing positive for COVID-19, his spokesperson said on Thursday. Najib, 70, is in stable condition and is undergoing quarantine and treatment at the hospital, his aide, Muhamad Mukhlis Maghribi, said. U.S. and Malaysian investigators estimate some $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB - co-founded by Najib during his first year as prime minister in 2009 - and that more than $1 billion went to accounts linked to Najib. Since then, Najib has been in and out of hospital for several issues, including stomach ulcers and high blood pressure.

Persons: Najib Razak, Hasnoor Hussain, Malaysia's, Najib, Muhamad Mukhlis Maghribi, Rozanna Latiff, Robert Birsel Organizations: Malaysian, Federal, REUTERS, 1Malaysia Development, Thomson Locations: Putrajaya, Malaysia, KUALA LUMPUR

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

☆ Donald Trump Jr. asked courtroom artist to make him 'look sexy' like an illustration of Sam Bankman-Fried
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Make me look sexy," Donald Trump Jr. told a courtroom illustrator after he finished testifying Thursday. The ex-president's son pointed out an image of Sam Bankman-Fried as inspiration. "He said, 'Make me look sexy,'" illustrator Jane Rosenberg told Insider. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., both executives at the company, are co-defendants and testified this week. On the witness stand, Trump Jr. said he had no involvement in preparing documents about the Trump Organization's finances, even though he signed off on them.

Persons: Donald Trump Jr, Sam Bankman, Jane Rosenberg, —, Donald Trump, Rosenberg —, who's, Tom Brady, Harvey Weinstein —, Trump, Rosenberg, Sam Bankman Fried, 8l7Nn0zCN2 — Tom Breen, @TJBreen, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Letitia James, Eric Trump, Fried, Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan Organizations: Service, Trump Organization, Trump Jr, Reuters, New York, Trump, Alameda Research Locations: New York, Manhattan, Alameda

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

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried can't get past the fundamental flaw in his defense strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

He claims that Alameda Research, his crypto hedge fund, was treated the same as everyone else on FTX, his now-collapsed crypto exchange. As Sam Bankman-Fried testifies on the witness stand in his criminal case, he has struggled to get past a core, key contradiction at the heart of his legal defense. On the witness stand, Bankman-Fried suggested his crypto hedge fund was not dissimilar to Jane Street Capital, the traditional trading firm where he worked before founding Alameda. As CEO, Ellison failed to make the trades and investments he suggested to hedge in case of a crypto market downturn, Bankman-Fried testified. Bankman-Fried tried to stress that the market conditions in November 2022, when FTX and Alameda collapsed, were an anomaly.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, that's, —, FTX, Jane Street, Danielle Sassoon, Judge Lewis Kaplan, Elizabeth Williams, Crypto, Sassoon, Chelsea Jia Feng Bankman, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Caroline Ellison, Ellison, Wang, Singh, Fried's, Bankman Organizations: Alameda Research, Prosecutors, Service, Alameda, Jane Street Capital, U.S, AP, wasn't Locations: FTX, Alameda, Manhattan, New York, Bankman

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried testifies he regrets not hiring a risk management team at FTX before it collapsed and led to criminal charges against him
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Katie Balevic | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried was asked on the witness stand if he hired a risk management team for FTX. He lamented the lack of a risk management team at FTX, a common refrain of his as he works to deflect blame from himself in the company's catastrophic collapse. "Did you have a risk management team at FTX?" But no, we didn't," Bankman-Fried replied. Bankman-Fried testified he worked between 12 and 22 hours per day and took off one day per month to keep up with managing the growth.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, —, Jane Street, Mark Cohen, FTX, Lewis Kaplan, who's, Kaplan Organizations: FTX, Prosecutors, Service, Alameda Research, US Locations: Alameda

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