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☆ We just learned the names of the 2 people secretly guaranteeing Sam Bankman-Fried's $250 million bond
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Larry Kramer and Andreas Paepcke are the two previously anonymous sponsors of Samuel Bankman-Fried's $250 million bond. A federal judge sided with Insider and other media organizations and made their names public. Larry Kramer, a former dean of Stanford University's law school, contributed $500,000 to the bond, according to court records unsealed Wednesday afternoon. Bankman-Fried's parents, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, who are both professors at Stanford University's law school, have also contributed to the bond. He also said he had no business interest in the $500,000 he contributed towards Bankman-Fried's bond.

☆ FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's two bond guarantors unsealed, both with ties to Stanford
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former FTX chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried (C) arrives to enter a plea before US District Judge Lewis Kaplan in the Manhattan federal court, New York, January 3, 2023. The names of two of FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried's guarantors were revealed on Wednesday, after an unsealing motion from media companies including CNBC was granted by a Manhattan federal judge. In all, there were four guarantors, including his parents, to ensure Bankman-Fried's cooperation with pretrial detention requirements. Kramer signed a $500,000 unsecured bond, while Paepcke signed the same bond for $250,000. WATCH: Prosecutors say Sam Bankman-Fried's contact with FTX employees suggests witness tampering

☆ Stanford law professor, researcher co-signed Bankman-Fried's bond -court records
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Feb 15 (Reuters) - A former dean of Stanford's law school and a computer science researcher at the university co-signed indicted FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried's bond, according to court records made public on Wednesday. His parents are both professors at Stanford Law School. On Jan. 25, an individual named Larry Kramer signed a $500,000 bond to ensure Bankman-Fried's return to court, and an individual named Andreas Paepcke signed a $200,000 bond, the newly-unredacted records showed. According to Stanford's website, Kramer is a former dean of the law school while Paepcke is a computer science researcher. The bond represents the amount of money Kramer and Paepcke would be liable to pay if Bankman-Fried does not return to court.

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Florence Regional Airport in Florence, South Carolina, U.S., March 12, 2022. Kaplan said Trump's offer would "almost certainly" delay a scheduled April 25 trial and unduly harm Carroll, who has long accused Trump of stalling. Joseph Tacopina, who joined Trump's legal team two weeks ago, and Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan declined to comment. Carroll originally sought Trump's DNA to compare against a dress she said she wore when the alleged rape occurred. The second lawsuit came in November after Trump repeated his denial, using similar language, in a social media post the prior month.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan imposed the VPN ban through Thursday, when he will hold a hearing to consider additional restrictions to Bankman-Fried's $250 million bail package. The judge on Tuesday extended that ban by three days, to Feb. 24. Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried cheated customers and improperly diverted assets, causing billions of dollars in losses. In a Monday night filing, prosecutors said Bankman-Fried used a VPN to access the internet on Jan. 29 and Feb. 12. Defense lawyers responded that Bankman-Fried used a VPN to watch National Football League playoff games on Jan. 29 and the Super Bowl on Feb. 12.

☆ Judge orders Samuel Bankman-Fried to stop using a VPN after his lawyers claim he only used one to watch the Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A judge on Tuesday ordered Bankman-Fried to stop using a VPN. To allay any concerns, however, the attorneys said Bankman-Fried would immediately stop using the VPN. On Tuesday afternoon, Judge Kaplan made that a condition of his bail, adding the use of a VPN to a list of other prohibited internet activities, Reuters reported. Use of a VPN, Kaplan ruled, "presents many of the same challenges." Prosecutors allege that Bankman-Fried used deposits in the cryptocurrency exchange to finance investments placed through Alameda Research, another company he founded.

☆ Judge Questions Sam Bankman-Fried’s Access to Messaging Apps
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Corinne Ramey | James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A federal judge on Thursday questioned whether proposed restrictions on Sam Bankman-Fried ‘s ability to communicate were tough enough, grilling lawyers about the details of the messaging applications the FTX founder has been using. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan held a hearing after federal prosecutors recently requested the judge limit Mr. Bankman-Fried, who is facing fraud charges, from accessing encrypted messaging apps after they said he contacted a potential witness in the case.

☆ U.S. judge extends FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's bail restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Shannon StapletonCompanies Ledgerx LLC FollowNEW YORK, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday extended a ban on FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried's ability to contact employees of companies he once controlled and use encrypted messaging technology while out on bail awaiting trial on fraud charges. As a condition of his release on $250 million bond, the judge also prevented Bankman-Fried from using messaging apps such as Signal that let users auto-delete messages. A prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, told the judge that the people were connected with FTX but not central to the government case and not expected to testify. Bankman-Fried had also agreed to withdraw his objection to a bail condition preventing him from accessing FTX, Alameda or cryptocurrency assets. Bankman-Fried was extradited from the Bahamas, where he had lived and where the exchange was based, to face the criminal charges.

[1/5] Former FTX Chief Executive Sam Bankman-Fried, who faces fraud charges over the collapse of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, arrives for his court hearing at a federal court in New York City, U.S., February 9, 2023. Kaplan rejected that proposed agreement on Tuesday and proceeded with the hearing on Bankman-Fried's bail conditions on Thursday, without explaining why he denied the deal. As part of the agreement with prosecutors, Bankman-Fried would have also withdrawn his objection to a bail condition preventing him from accessing FTX, Alameda or cryptocurrency assets. FTX collapsed in November after a wave of withdrawals and declared bankruptcy, wiping out Bankman-Fried's fortune. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A judge won't let Sam Bankman-Fried use any messaging apps that auto-delete texts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A federal judge in New York banned Sam Bankman-Fried from using messaging apps that auto-delete texts. Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried used the encryption app Signal to send messages while detained at his parents' home. "I'm far less interested in the defendant's convenience than the risk of deleting messages," Kaplan said at a hearing Thursday. The terms the parties had proposed would have barred Bankman-Fried from using apps like Signal, which encrypt messages and allow users to delete them automatically after a set period of time. Kaplan was also concerned about Bankman-Fried encrypting messages in a way that would keep them out of the hands of prosecutors.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is back in court after prosecutors raise witness-tampering questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Sam Bankman-Fried appeared in a New York federal court on Thursday, just over a week after the judge in the FTX founder’s fraud case tightened the bail conditions in response to allegations of witness tampering. Prosecutors said the former executive, identified as “Witness-1,” could be called to testify against Bankman-Fried in a trial. In the message, Bankman-Fried wrote: “I know it’s been a while since we’ve talked. FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange co-founded by Bankman-Fried in 2019, collapsed into bankruptcy in November amid a liquidity crisis fueled by allegations about improper financial ties with Alameda, Bankman-Fried’s ostensibly separate hedge fund. Federal prosecutors now allege that the firm, under the direction of Bankman-Fried, stole customer deposits to fund unrelated activities, such as political donations, luxury real estate purchases and covering losses at Alameda, Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is appealing the judge's decision to reveal the identities of 2 people who helped secure his $250 million bail package
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Besides his parents, two as-yet-unidentified people cosigned the $250 million bail bond to get the FTX founder released from jail. Bankman-Fried's attorneys argued the potential of physical threats were reasons to keep their identities sealed. Attorneys for the FTX founder appealed a judge's decision to reveal the two non-parental cosigners of his $250 million bail bond, according to a court filing on Tuesday. "Mr. Bankman-Fried stands accused of perpetrating one of the largest financial frauds in history." "In recent weeks, Mr. Bankman-Fried's parents have become the target of intense media scrutiny, harassment, and threats," Cohen said last month.

Companies Ledgerx LLC FollowNEW YORK, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a proposal to modify Sam Bankman-Fried's bail conditions, despite an agreement between the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder and prosecutors to address potential witness tampering concerns. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan did not provide reasons for the denial, and said a hearing on bail remains scheduled for Feb. 9. Prosecutors had asked last month to tighten bail, citing Bankman-Fried's efforts to contact both the general counsel of the FTX U.S. affiliate and new FTX Chief Executive John Ray, ostensibly to provide assistance. Bankman-Fried would have also withdrawn his objection to a bail condition preventing him from accessing FTX, Alameda or cryptocurrency assets. They cited the cases' substantial overlap, and the risk Bankman-Fried could gather evidence in the civil cases to help his criminal defense.

Companies Ledgerx LLC FollowNEW YORK, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a proposal to modify Sam Bankman-Fried's bail conditions, despite an agreement between the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder and prosecutors to address potential witness tampering concerns. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan did not provide reasons for the denial, and said a hearing on Bankman-Fried's bail remains scheduled for Feb. 9. Prosecutors had asked last month to tighten his bail conditions, citing Bankman-Fried's efforts to contact both the general counsel of the FTX U.S. affiliate and new FTX Chief Executive John Ray, ostensibly to provide assistance. The proposed conditions would prevent Bankman-Fried from talking with most employees of FTX or his Alameda Research hedge fund without lawyers present, or using encrypted messaging apps such as Signal. Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

NEW YORK, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried is in talks with U.S. prosecutors to resolve a dispute over the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder's bail conditions, his lawyer said on Thursday. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty and is under house arrest at his parents' California home. Once worth an estimated $26 billion, Bankman-Fried was arrested in December after FTX collapsed. Bankman-Fried has acknowledged risk management failures, but said FTX collapsed because of a liquidity crunch and that he did not steal funds. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies Ledgerx LLC FollowNEW YORK, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday temporarily barred FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried from contacting current or former employees of the cryptocurrency exchange or his Alameda Research hedge fund, and from using encrypted messaging tools including Signal. He was arrested in December on charges of looting billions of FTX customer funds, and lying to investors and lenders. Prosecutors last week cited a Signal message Bankman-Fried sent on Jan. 15 to the general counsel of the FTX U.S. affiliate, referred to in court papers as "Witness-1." The order does not apply to Bankman-Fried's immediate family members, and he may communicate with FTX or Alameda employees if lawyers are present. At next week's hearing, Kaplan will also consider a request by Bankman-Fried's lawyers to allow him to access and transfer cryptocurrency.

☆ People who posted Sam Bankman-Fried's bail should be named, U.S. judge rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | Industry Insight | Upcoming Sec Climate Disclosure Rules Bring Urgency To Esg Data Strategy Planning | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan ruled in favor of several media outlets including Reuters that sought the names. The judge said that while the public had only a "weak" right to know who Bankman-Fried's guarantors were, it outweighed Bankman-Fried's arguments for confidentiality, including that the guarantors' safety could be imperiled. Kaplan disagreed, noting that long before bail was posted, the parents had faced "intense public scrutiny" over their relationship with their son, who was once worth an estimated $26 billion. They said there was less "stigma" from being associated with Bankman-Fried than from being associated with the late sex offender. Other media seeking to identify Bankman-Fried's guarantors included the Associated Press, Bloomberg, CNBC, CoinDesk, Dow Jones, the Financial Times, Insider, the New York Times and the Washington Post.

☆ U.S. says FTX founder Bankman-Fried needs limits on communications, asset access
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

They argued those assets were "vulnerable to exploitation and in need of protection from the defendant." Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell, who represent Bankman-Fried, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In Monday's letter, prosecutors called the message an effort to "improperly influence" the general counsel, no matter how benign it might seem. Bankman-Fried's lawyers have said their client was trying simply to provide assistance to the general counsel, and has not been not using the auto-delete feature. They also proposed that Bankman-Fried not be allowed to talk with select colleagues, including former Alameda chief Caroline Ellison, former FTX technology chief Zixiao "Gary" Wang and former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh.

☆ A judge ordered the unsealing of Sam Bankman-Fried's 2 anonymous bail sponsors — but says they have a week to appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A federal judge agreed to unseal the names of Samuel Bankman-Fried's two anonymous bail sponsors. The judge pointed out that the sponsors waded into a highly public criminal case. "The non-parental bail sureties have entered voluntarily into a highly publicized criminal proceeding by signing the individual bonds," Kaplan wrote in his ruling on Monday. According to the rules of their bail agreement, one of those additional sponsors couldn't be a family member, according to court filings. A group of media organizations, including Insider, argued that the public had a right to know who was bankrolling Bankman-Fried's bail.

Bankman-Fried, 30, has been free on $250 million bond since pleading not guilty to charges of fraud in the looting of billions of dollars from the now-bankrupt FTX. But in a letter to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan, Bankman-Fried's lawyers said prosecutors sprung the "overbroad" bail conditions without revealing that both sides had been discussing bail over the last week. "Rather than wait for any response from the defense, the government sandbagged the process, filing this letter at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening," Bankman-Fried's lawyers wrote. They said a Signal ban isn't necessary because Bankman-Fried is not using the auto-delete feature, and concern he might is "unfounded." The lawyers also asked to remove a bail condition preventing Bankman-Fried from accessing FTX, Alameda or cryptocurrency assets, saying there was "no evidence" he was responsible for earlier alleged unauthorized transactions.

☆ U.S. seeks tighter bail for FTX founder Bankman-Fried to prevent tampering
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Citing Bankman-Fried's "recent attempts to contact prospective witnesses," prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan to ban Bankman-Fried from communicating with current or former employees of FTX or his Alameda Research hedge fund, other than family, unless a lawyer is present. They also asked that Bankman-Fried not use Signal or other encrypted call and messaging applications, though he could still communicate through text messages, email and the phone. In Friday's letter, prosecutors cited a Signal message on Jan. 15 from Bankman-Fried to "Witness-1," the general counsel of the FTX U.S. affiliate. Bankman-Fried expressed interest in having a "constructive relationship" or "at least vet things with each other." In seeking to keep Bankman-Fried off Signal, prosecutors said he had in 2021 directed that many Signal and Slack communications be autodeleted within 30 days.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried tried to influence witness through Signal, DOJ alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Federal prosecutors are attempting to bar indicted FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried from using encrypted messaging software, citing efforts that may "constitute witness tampering," according to a letter filed in Manhattan federal court Friday. Bankman-Fried reached out to the "current General Counsel of FTX US who may be a witness at trial," prosecutors said. Federal prosecutors allege that Bankman-Fried's request suggests an effort to influence the witness's testimony, and that Bankman-Fried's effort to improve his relationship with Miller "may itself constitute witness tampering." In restricting Bankman-Fried's access to Signal and other encrypted messaging platforms, the government cites a need to "prevent obstruction of justice." Federal prosecutors claim that Bankman-Fried directed Alameda and FTX through Slack and Signal, and ordered his employees set communications to "autodelete after 30 days or less."

They had hoped to represent a much larger class of artists who filed termination notices with UMG. A provision of U.S. copyright law allows artists to terminate agreements to transfer their copyrights and reclaim them after decades in some circumstances. Kaplan said Friday that the musicians could not represent a broader class of artists who sent termination notices to UMG with effective dates between 2013 and 2031. A related lawsuit filed against Sony Music by musicians including former New York Dolls singer David Johansen has been paused since 2021 for settlement discussions. The UMG case is Waite v. UMG Recordings Inc, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No.

The lawyers, Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell, did not specify when the incident took place, describing it only as recent. The news organizations argued last week that the right of the public to know the two sureties' identities outweighed their privacy and safety rights. Bankman-Fried's lawyers said the media groups "assign far too much weight to the presumption of access" and ignored the safety of the guarantors. Prosecutors took no position on whether to disclose the sureties' identities or not, Bankman-Fried's lawyers wrote in the filing. Prosecutors interviewed and approved the two individuals on Jan. 4, Cohen and Everdell wrote.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's 2 mysterious bail sponsors ponied up a total of $700,000 to get the alleged fraudster out of jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In addition to his parents, Sam Bankman-Fried has two anonymous bail sponsors keeping him out of jail. In addition to the anonymous bail sponsors, Bankman-Fried's parents used their $4 million Palo Alto home as collateral to help secure the bond. In court, prosecutors estimated he defrauded more than 1 million customers. Earlier this month, several news organizations, including Insider, asked Kaplan to unseal the identities of the two anonymous bail sponsors, arguing it was in the public interest. A representative for Bankman-Fried declined to comment on the identity of the bail sponsors.

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