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☆ Lowe's cuts sales outlook as homeowners take on fewer projects; shares slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Lowe's on Tuesday lowered its full-year sales outlook, after customers spent less on do-it-yourself projects and caused its fiscal third-quarter sales to tumble nearly 13% year over year. The home improvement retailer said it now anticipates sales will total about $86 billion for the fiscal year. It projects comparable sales will drop by about 5% this fiscal year, worse than a previously anticipated a decline of between 2% and 4%. In the third quarter, Lowe's net income was $1.77 billion, or $3.06 per share, compared with $154 million, or 25 cents per share in the year-ago period. Lowe's competitor, Home Depot, beat Wall Street's fiscal third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations last week, even as its sales fell 3% year over year.

Persons: Lowe's, Marvin Ellison, Ellison, Richard McPhail Organizations: Lowe's, Inc, Home Depot, Home Locations: LSEG, U.S

"In the more recent macro environment, consumer demand has been even more uneven and difficult to predict," Best Buy CEO Corie Barry said. U.S. holiday sales are expected to rise at its slowest pace in five years, according to data from the National Retail Federation, as Americans are likely to pull back on holiday shopping. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLast week, industry bellwether Walmart (WMT.N) warned of cautious consumer spending as the holiday shopping season gets underway. Retail executives said higher interest rates, inflation and a resumption in student loan repayments will keep consumer wallets under pressure. Still, some investors expect holiday sales starting Black Friday to hold "some positive surprises."

Persons: Corie Barry, Bing Guan, Fitch, David Silverman, Marvin Ellison, Thomas Hayes, Rachel Wolff, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Savyata Mishra, Granth Vanaik, Juby Babu, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: National Retail Federation, REUTERS, Walmart, Retail, Apparel, Abercrombie, Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, Insider Intelligence, Thomson Locations: United States, SoHo, New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Opinion: Megan Fox, the actress-turned-poet, has a lot to say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Opinion Patricia Grisafi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But I am thinking about the phenomenon of the celebrity poetry collection differently — and it has to do with the actress Megan Fox’s recent debut collection, “Pretty Boys Are Poisonous” (Simon & Schuster). Simon and Schuster has lost all credibility…”Fox, who has starred in “Transformers,” “Jennifer’s Body” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is, of course, not the first celebrity to write a poetry collection. Confessional poetry continues to be a debatable term in academic circles. Confessional poetry is genre that is not limited to women but seems to be associated most frequently with them. In particular, Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton are often invoked when confessional poetry is discussed.

Persons: Patricia Grisafi, Mary Sue, Square Barnes, Noble, James, Herbert White, Franco’s, Barnes, Franco, Megan Fox’s, Simon, Schuster, Fox, bimbo, ” Fox, Tupac Shakur, Billy Corgan, Alicia Keys, Mary Lambert, Florence Welch, Halsey, Lana del Rey, —, Jude Ellison Sady Doyle ruminated, she’d, ” Doyle, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Sexton, Plath, Lilith, Mary Magdalene, ” Marilyn Monroe, Formally, isn’t, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, “, Britney Spears Organizations: Guardian, Salon, NBC, Los Angeles, Daily, CNN, Square, Big, tote, Fox Locations: Hollywood, New York City

☆ As Aussie magnates gatecrash lithium deals, bankers get creative
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Melanie Burton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

In taking the stakes, Hancock has underscored its expertise in building mining projects, while Mineral Resources has said it wants to be part of projects that will sustain its growth for decades. Hancock and Mineral Resources declined to make additional comments. As well as Liontown, Core Lithium (CXO.AX), Leo Lithium (LLL.AX) Latin Resources (LRS.AX) Patriot Metals , Chalice (CHN.AX), Centaurus (CTM.AX) and Rex Minerals (RXM.AX) have all been cited by brokers as buyout prospects. TWO-PRONGED SOLUTIONTheir deep pockets, risk appetite and Australia's competition laws means mining magnates have a home advantage against listed companies, industry sources say. One example that bankers offered in the case of SQM's bid for Azure was a two-pronged solution to erode any interloper advantage.

Persons: Gina Rinehart, Roy Hill's, Hancock, Chris Ellison, Rinehart's Hancock, Marc Upcroft, you've, Leo Lithium, Richard Lustig, Baker McKenzie, Melanie Burton, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: REUTERS, MELBOURNE, Mineral Resources, Australia's, PwC, Rex Minerals, Thomson Locations: Port Hedland, Australia, Australia's Liontown, Albemarle, Hancock, Melbourne

It was late October and Tim Scott’s campaign manager, Jennifer DeCasper, was trying to rally the troops on an all-staff call, announcing that they would soon relocate to Iowa in a last-ditch move to salvage his floundering presidential bid. She broke the news from the back seat of an Uber, according to four people familiar with the call. As the car bumped through the streets of Chicago after a Scott speech had run long, Ms. DeCasper insisted, “We are not failing.”But by then, even many of those around Mr. Scott believed his candidacy had already run its course. And his super PAC had canceled its own television ads days before Ms. DeCasper’s staff call. From 2020 to 2022, Mr. Ellison donated $35 million to Scott-aligned groups, and a huge check had seemed a foregone conclusion when Mr. Ellison showed up at the Scott kickoff and got a shout-out from the stage.

Persons: Tim Scott’s, Jennifer DeCasper, Uber, Scott, DeCasper, “, Larry Ellison, Ellison Organizations: PAC, Scott Locations: Iowa, Chicago

☆ Tim Scott drops out of GOP primary race after girlfriend reveal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Despite ample financial resources, his platform didn't resonate among GOP voters. Details of Scott's relationship with Noce surfaced after he faced criticism over being unmarried — with some insinuating he is gay. AdvertisementAdvertisement"It's like a different form of discrimination or bias," the 2024 GOP presidential candidate told The Washington Post . Scott's campaign began with $22 million before his announcement and received substantial backing from Larry Ellison, the cofounder of Oracle Corporation. AdvertisementAdvertisementA spokesperson for Scott's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Persons: Tim Scott, —, Scott, Trey Gowdy, Mindy Noce, Axios, Larry Ellison Organizations: Service, GOP, Republican, Fox News, Washington Post, South, Oracle Corporation, senator's, Opportunity Matters Locations: South Carolina, America, Iowa

☆ Tim Scott drops out of race mere hours after girlfriend reveal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

I am suspending my campaign," Scott said during an interview on Fox News' "Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy." Details of Scott's relationship with Noce surfaced after he faced criticism over being unmarried — with some insinuating he is gay. AdvertisementAdvertisement"It's like a different form of discrimination or bias," the 2024 GOP presidential candidate told The Washington Post . Scott's campaign began with $22 million before his announcement and received substantial backing from Larry Ellison, the cofounder of Oracle Corporation. AdvertisementAdvertisementA spokesperson for Scott's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

☆ Beyoncé and Jay-Z Are Clients, So Too Larry Ellison: How a Superbroker Operates
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( E.B. Solomont | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

If you’re Kurt Rappaport —a real-estate agent to the stars, with billionaires on speed dial and $100 million home sales under your belt—there’s really only one way to throw yourself a housewarming party, and that’s by inviting Snoop Dogg to DJ. The 2022 event, at Rappaport’s old Hollywood-style compound in Los Angeles, was the culmination of a five-year renovation. It epitomized the rarefied world of luxury real estate in which Rappaport operates, where A-list clients flip $50 million homes and industrious agents can make fortunes of their own helping others buy and sell real estate.

Persons: Kurt Rappaport —, Snoop Dogg, DJ, Rappaport Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Why Oracle's latest AI deal adds to the stock's buying appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The multi-year deal will ultimately give Microsoft access to more of Nvidia 's (NVDA) cutting-edge AI chips, which have been in short supply since the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT last year intensified investments in AI technology. Nvidia is the world's dominant AI chipmaker, and its processors are housed in data centers operated by Oracle, Microsoft and other cloud-computing firms. In forging close ties with Nvidia, Oracle has made its cloud-computing operations more competitive relative to larger providers like Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft and Alphabet (GOOGL). The latest Oracle-Microsoft agreement also carries positive implications for Nvidia, further illustrating just how much demand there is for Nvidia's AI chips. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

Persons: Bing, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Larry Ellison, Jim Cramer, Ellison, Oracle's, Safra, We've, —, Jim, Jim Cramer's, Justin Sullivan Organizations: Microsoft, Oracle, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Nvidia, Street, Club, U.S, Financial Times, CNBC Locations: China, Redwood Shores , California

☆ The fight over return-to-office is getting dirty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Evidence is as evidence doesAs the return-to-office battle has heated up in the past six months, there has been a marked increase in declarations that remote work is less productive. The researchers determined that remote workers were 18% less productive than their in-person counterparts. Just the vibesDespite the limited evidence against it, corporations are increasingly trying to kill remote work. That's what makes the move to kill off remote work so frustrating. It's not clear that the return-to-office move is about making workers more productive or building a better culture.

Persons: it's, Mike Hopkins, they're, India —, Nicholas Bloom, who's, David Baszucki's, Geico, Amazon's Andy Jassy, Geico's Todd Combs, there's, Safra, Larry Ellison, wrongheaded, galvanizing sycophants, Ed Zitron Organizations: Amazon, Amazon Studios, National Bureau of Economic Research, Journalists, Stanford, Meta, —, Writers Guild of America, SAG, United Auto Workers Locations: India

☆ 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

☆ A timeline of Sam Bankman-Fried trial: Key moments leading up to FTX founder's conviction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | 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: +5 min

Indicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried leaves the United States Courthouse in New York City, U.S., July 26, 2023. MAY 2019Bankman-Fried and former Google employee Gary Wang found FTX as a new platform to trade crypto tokens and derivatives. Bankman-Fried debuts on the Forbes billionaires list, which estimates his net worth at $22.5 billion. Alameda gives crypto lender Voyager Digital a $200 million credit facility, and FTX gives lender BlockFi a $250 million loan. In a post-arrest blog post, Bankman-Fried denies stealing funds and blames FTX's collapse on a broader downturn in crypto markets.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Amr Alfiky, Gary Wang, Larry David, CoinDesk, Binance, FTX, Changpeng Zhao, David, Tom Brady, Wang, Caroline Ellison, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Nishad Singh, Kaplan revokes, Luc Cohen, Noeleen Walder, Daniel Wallis Organizations: United, REUTERS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Jane Street Capital, Alameda Research, Google, Forbes, Alameda, NFL, DEC, U.S, District, New York Times, Metropolitan Detention Center, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Alameda, Bahamas, Manhattan, United States, Palo Alto , California, New York

☆ 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 ,

☆ Musk's xAI set to launch first AI model to select group
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Tesla and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk pauses during an in-conversation event with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, Britain, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. Kirsty Wigglesworth/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsNov 3 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI will release its first AI model to a select group on Saturday, the billionaire and Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO said on Friday. The team behind xAI, which launched in July this year, comes from Google's DeepMind, the Windows parent, and other top AI research firms. Though Musk-owned X, the social media firm formerly known as Twitter, and xAI are separate, the companies work closely together. Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle (ORCL.N) and a self-described close friend of Musk, said in September that xAI had signed a contract to train its AI model on Oracle's cloud.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, Rishi Sunak, Kirsty Wigglesworth, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's, Bard, Microsoft's, Bing, Google's DeepMind, XAI, Larry Ellison, Musk, xAI, Akash Sriram, Shinjini Organizations: British, REUTERS Acquire, Elon, Twitter, Oracle, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Bengaluru

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Jurors are deliberating on Sam Bankman-Fried's fate. Here's what they'd have to agree on to convict the FTX founder.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Prosecutors charged him with money laundering and conspiring to defraud FTX and Alameda customers, investors, and lenders. Here's a breakdown of the seven charges jurors are considering. AdvertisementAdvertisementProsecutors allege he stole money from customers of FTX, the exchange, and used the funds for trades, investments, and property purchases through Alameda Research. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn addition to the criminal counts in this trial, Bankman-Fried faces another set of charges related to allegedly illegal campaign contributions. AdvertisementAdvertisementBeyond the criminal charges, Bankman-Fried has a slew of other legal problems, including negotiations over FTX's bankruptcy and civil lawsuits from regulators and investors who claim they were defrauded.

Persons: Sam Bankman, FTX, —, Fried, Lewis Kaplan, — Prosecutors, Caroline Ellison, it's, Kaplan, he's Organizations: Prosecutors, Service, Alameda Research, Bowl, — Locations: Alameda, Manhattan, Bahamas, FTX

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty on all seven criminal fraud counts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A jury has found Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of all seven criminal counts against him. Bankman-Fried, the 31-year old son of two Stanford legal scholars and graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud against FTX customers and against Alameda Research lenders, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and conspiracy to commit commodities fraud against FTX investors, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Both pleaded guilty in December to multiple charges and cooperated as witnesses for the prosecution. The issue, he said, is whether Bankman-Fried knew that taking the money was wrong. Holmes, 39, was convicted in early 2022 on four counts of defrauding investors in Theranos after testifying in her own defense.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Caroline Ellison, Bankman, FTX, Gary Wang, Fried, Nicolas Roos, Roos, Elizabeth Holmes, Holmes, —, Dawn Giel Organizations: Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Alameda Research, Alameda ., U.S Locations: Alameda, FTX, Theranos, Bryan , Texas

A jury found Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of financial crimes in his five-week Manhattan trial. The defense said Bankman-Fried simply didn't know and his executives were to blame. AdvertisementAdvertisementA jury found Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy in his criminal trial in Manhattan federal court after deliberating for about four and a half hours on Thursday. AdvertisementAdvertisementCharges against Bankman-Fried included wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Ellison – along with execs Gary Wang and Nishad Singh – pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy charges and testified against Bankman-Fried at the trial, each emphasizing how they committed crimes at Bankman-Fried's direction.

Persons: Sam Bankman, —, Caroline Ellison, Ellison –, execs Gary Wang, Nishad Singh –, Fried Organizations: Prosecutors, Service, Inner City Press, Alameda Research, Washington , D.C, Bankman, Alameda Locations: Manhattan, Bahamas, Washington ,, FTX, Alameda, Bankman

The government is paying for pizza and Uber rides home for the 12 jurors in lower Manhattan who will decide the fate of Sam Bankman-Fried. In court on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan told jurors he would keep them until 8:15 p.m. as the criminal trial of the FTX founder enters its final stretch. Kaplan had previously hinted at the expedited timeline, while reassuring the jury that he wasn't rushing anyone. Now the trial moves to jury instructions and then deliberations. All three pleaded guilty to multiple charges and cooperated as witnesses for the prosecution.

Persons: Sam Bankman, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, Caroline Ellison, Bankman, FTX, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh Organizations: District, Stanford, Alameda Research Locations: Manhattan, Alameda

☆ Here are the emails, texts and photos that could put Sam Bankman-Fried in prison for life
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

Lawyers for the U.S. Attorney's office entered into evidence a series of photos featuring the $35 million penthouse where Sam Bankman-Fried and his fellow co-workers resided. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Government exhibit in the case against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. Source: SDNYZoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Government exhibit in the case against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. Source: SDNYZoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Government exhibit in the case against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Government exhibit in the case against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, FTX, Renato Mariotti, Bryan Cave Leighton, Caroline Ellison, —, Alameda —, Ryan Pinder, Rob Creamer, didn't, Ellison, he'd, HOOD, they'll, FTX's, Sun, Bankman, Stephen Curry, Tom Brady, Giselle Bundchen, Larry David, Nishad Singh, Michael Kives, Bryan Baum, Hillary Clinton, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kris, Kylie Jenner, SDNY Singh, Baum, Drappi, Jane Rosenberg, Joe Bankman, Ramnik Arora, Ryne Miller, Constance Wang, Ryan Salame, Changpeng Zhao, Michael Lewis, Singh, Lewis Organizations: U.S . Justice Department's Securities, Commodities, Lawyers, U.S, Alameda Research, Alameda, Geneva Trading, FIA, Traders Group, Wall Street Journal, Google, shuttering, Prosecutors, NBA, Major League Baseball, K5, Federal Court Locations: Chicago, Bahamas, Bankman, Alameda, FTX, shuttering Alameda, Hong Kong, New York City, U.S, Sequoia, Alameda's

The witnesses painted a portrait of Mr. Bankman-Fried, 31, as a controlling boss who directed them to commit fraud. She was apprehensive about the move, she said, because she knew that would mean borrowing $1 billion in FTX customer funds for the transaction. “That’s OK, I think this is really important, we have to get it done,” Mr. Bankman-Fried told Ms. Ellison, according to her testimony. At Mr. Bankman-Fried’s urging, Mr. Sun said, he ran through a few theoretical options to justify the borrowing and spending of FTX customer money. But Mr. Sun, who testified after securing an agreement that prosecutors would not pursue charges against him, said he had once again told Mr. Bankman-Fried that none of those options were supported “by the facts.” Mr. Bankman-Fried responded by saying “something like, ‘Got it,’” Mr. Sun testified.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Bankman, Caroline Ellison —, Adam Yedidia, Mr, Yedidia, FTX, ” Caroline Ellison Ms, Ellison, Ms, Gary Wang Mr, Wang, ”, coder, Nishad Singh Mr, Singh, Gabe, Gabe Bankman, ” Mr, Prosecutors, Barbara Fried, Nishad Singh, Sun, ’ Organizations: Alameda Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford, Mr, Prosecutors, America Locations: Bahamas, Alameda, Binance, Pandemics

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

☆ 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

☆ 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

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