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☆ Exclusive: Sam Bankman-Fried to reverse decision on contesting extradition
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Jasper Ward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

His decision to consent to extradition would pave the way for him to appear in U.S. court to face wire fraud, money laundering and campaign finance charges. At his initial court hearing in Manhattan, Bankman-Fried would be asked to enter a plea and a judge would make a determination on bail, Margulis-Ohnuma said. The attorney added that such a hearing must take place within 48 hours of Bankman-Fried's arrival in the United States, though it would likely be sooner. Bankman-Fried has acknowledged risk management failings at FTX but has said he does not believe he has criminal liability. 'BIGGEST FINANCIAL FRAUDS IN AMERICAN HISTORY'It was not immediately clear what prompted Bankman-Fried to change his mind and decide not to contest extradition.

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (2nd L) is led away handcuffed by officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force in Nassau, Bahamas on December 13, 2022. FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried will no longer contest extradition to the U.S., an about-face just days after he was remanded to Bahamian jail pending a hearing, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. The former crypto billionaire will appear in Bahamian court this Monday to formally waive his extradition rights, paving the way for federal authorities to secure his return to the U.S. The change of heart would move up the timeline for Bankman-Fried's federal trial significantly. Charges from the SEC and CFTC indicated that FTX had commingled customer funds with Bankman-Fried's crypto hedge fund, Alameda Research, and that billions in customer deposits had been lost along the way.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried to reverse decision on contesting extradition -source
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Jasper Ward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 17 (Reuters) - Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to appear in court in The Bahamas on Monday to reverse his decision to contest extradition to the United States, where he faces fraud charges, a person familiar with the matter said on Saturday. The cryptocurrency mogul was indicted in federal court in Manhattan on Dec. 13 and accused of engaging in a scheme to defraud FTX customers. Bankman-Fried, 30, was arrested on Monday in The Bahamas, where he lives and where FTX is based. Neither a spokesman nor a U.S.-based lawyer for Bankman-Fried immediately responded to requests for comment. Bankman-Fried had made a new bail application before The Bahamas Supreme Court on Thursday, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters at the time.

☆ FTX users say they take little comfort in Sam Bankman-Fried's arrest - and still don't have much hope they'll get their money back
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

SBF's arrest isn't reassuring users who are worried about getting their money out of the failed exchange. "It really wouldn't change my life or anyone's life if he goes to jail," one user said. Tadeh Tarverdian, a customer of FTX who had $10,000 in his account when the exchange collapsed last month, said news of the Sam Bankman-Fried's arrest made him more anxious about getting his money back. Evan Luthra, an entrepreneur who says he lost $2 million when the exchange collapsed, also doesn't find comfort in Bankman-Fried's arrest. He speculated the former crypto executive would be found guilty due to the "obvious" mismanagement of FTX, as well Bankman-Fried's media interviews.

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The Democratic Party's three top campaign groups are preparing to return over $1.1 million they have received from imprisoned cryptocurrency tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried, they said on Friday. In a statement, the Democratic National Committee said it was setting aside $815,000 in funds received from Bankman-Fried in light of "potential campaign finance violations" made by the billionaire. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it was setting aside $103,000, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which oversees the party's campaign arm for the House of Representatives, said it would set aside $250,000. Bankman-Fried said his pro-Republican outlays have not been disclosed to the public, an area of campaign finance known as "dark money." The Washington Post first reported on the campaign groups' decision to set aside the funds.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s Dirty Political Donations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Kimberley A. Strassel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Celebrity crypto savant Sam Bankman-Fried is in a heap of trouble. Washington has its own giant FTX problem, in what now appears to be millions of dollars in dirty donations. It’s a donor scandal for the ages, and yet politicians are mum on what they intend to do about it. The country is learning more about FTX’s spectacular collapse, including the allegation that SBF stole billions from customers to prop up a side venture, Alameda Research. The SEC explains that FTX customer funds were diverted to Alameda to the extent that there was “no meaningful distinction,” and that SBF then used these “commingled FTX customers’ funds” to make “large political donations.” Put simply, SBF stands accused of using stolen money to fuel politics.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is in jail, but legal watchers are wondering: Where's ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison isn't named in prosecutors' charges against Sam Bankman-FriedBut the SEC's civil suit references her statements on the relationship between FTX and Alameda. Conspiracy charges and civil claims against SBF show others in the crosshairs, legal experts said. But her rise as CEO at Alameda, Bankman-Fried's other crypto company separate from FTX, may certainly put her in investigators' sights. The SEC's complaint on Tuesday claimed that Bankman-Fried "remained the ultimate decision-maker" at Alameda, even after Ellison took over the reins. Since Bankman-Fried's crypto empire began unraveling in November however, Ellison has stayed away from the public eye.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's parents have already been to the Bahamian prison where he's being held
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried's parents visited Fox Hill prison in the Bahamas on Thursday, DailyMail.com reported. His parents have become entwined with FTX's collapse and have stuck close by his side. His parents, Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman, both Stanford Law professors, have become entwined in FTX's collapse. Bankman-Fried's parents have stuck close by his side since FTX's collapse. DailyMail.com published photos showing Bankman and Fried arriving at Fox Hill on Thursday.

☆ Binance's native BNB token plunges to lowest since July as concerns mount about withdrawals, FTX ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Ari Levy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Binance's Co-founder & CEO Changpeng Zhao has given several interviews discussing the outlook for cryptocurrency following a turbulent couple of weeks in the market. The latest issue looming over Binance is FTX's bankruptcy proceedings. In exiting its equity position in the company last year, Binance received payment equal to roughly $2.1 billion. Binance's native token, BNB, has fallen 15% in the past week, including a drop of over 6% in the past 24 hours. BNB, first minted in 2017, is the world's fifth most valuable cryptocurrency, with a market cap of about $39 billion, according to CoinMarketCap .

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's story keeps getting wilder and weirder as details emerge from his past and more people speak out.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The more details that emerge, the more I feel like this is going to make a great Michael Lewis book (and movie) one day. Among the highlights from his testimony include his assertion that the crypto market is "the largest Ponzi scheme in history." In other news:Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a news conference following a Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, in Washington. A top FTX exec blew the whistle on Sam Bankman-Fried's moves just two days before the crypto exchange collapsed. Morgan Stanley's Mike Wilson said the stock market could fall further in 2023.

☆ 4 crypto experts break down what's next for the industry with trading volumes down 50% since the FTX collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Crypto daily trading volumes plunged 50% following FTX's collapse, per Bloomberg and Kaiko data. Insider spoke with four crypto experts about what's next for the nascent industry. The plunge in trading volumes comes at a pivotal time for the industry, which is enduring a prolonged and brutal bear market. "Many bull market retail investors have vacated the market causing significant lower trading volumes," Andreas Christensen, the founder of blockchain gaming developer SuperOne, said. Christensen added: "In such a fragile bear market, a big-time criminal act like SBF did with FTX will have a severe impact on the market sentiment and trading volumes."

☆ Bankman-Fried makes new bail application after losing first request: source
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 15 (Reuters) - Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has made a bail application before The Bahamas Supreme Court, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday, after a magistrate judge on Tuesday rejected the former crypto mogul's request for bail. The source, who asked not to be identified, said the application was made on Thursday. Bahamas broadcaster Eyewitness News on Thursday reported that the Supreme Court would hear the bail application on Jan. 17, without citing sources. Bankman-Fried amassed a fortune valued over $20 billion as he rode a cryptocurrency boom to build FTX into one of the world's largest exchanges before it abruptly collapsed this year. Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s Arrest Offers Cold Comfort to FTX Customers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Hannah Miao | Caitlin Mccabe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

For many customers burned by the whirlwind collapse of FTX, the arrest of founder Sam Bankman-Fried offered them the chance to take a brief sigh of relief—but not much more. Prosecutors and regulators alleged this week that Mr. Bankman-Fried stole billions of dollars from FTX customers in one of the biggest financial frauds in American history. Much of the money, they said, propped up trading firm Alameda Research, also largely owned by Mr. Bankman-Fried.

Days before FTX’s bankruptcy filing last month, co-CEO Ryan Salame told Bahamian authorities that founder Sam Bankman-Fried may have committed fraud by sending customer money from the crypto exchange to his other firm, Alameda Research. According to a filing on Wednesday tied to FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings, Salame disclosed “possible mishandling of clients’ assets” by Bankman-Fried. FTX declared bankruptcy on Nov. 11. The indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, charged Bankman-Fried with eight criminal counts related to fraud, money laundering and improper use of customer funds. Like Bankman-Fried, Salame was a significant political donor, donating $20 million to Republican causes.

☆ New York Financial Regulator Issues Crypto Guidance for Banks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

New York’s financial regulator said banks looking to enter the cryptocurrency space need to first seek approval from the regulator. U.S. banks and foreign banks with branches in New York that are under NYDFS supervision should notify the agency at least 90 days before starting any new or significantly different crypto-related activities, according to the guidance. NYDFS is one of the first state financial regulators to issue such guidance for banks. PREVIEWNYDFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris said the guidance is needed as the traditional financial institutions continue to innovate and as the crypto market evolves over time. New York’s financial regulator, which oversees insurance companies and state-chartered banks, already plays an outsize role nationally in overseeing the financial services sector.

☆ A top FTX exec blew the whistle on Sam Bankman-Fried's moves just 2 days before the crypto exchange's collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An FTX exec told authorities about potential illegality at the crypto exchange 2 days before its bankruptcy. He worked for Alameda between 2019 and 2021 before joining FTX Digital Markets, the crypto exchange's Bahamas division. Like Democratic Party donor Bankman-Fried, Salame has high-profile political ties: his partner is failed far-right Republican congressional candidate Michelle Bond. Bond's congressional candidate financial disclosure report showed that she received $400,000 in consulting fees from FTX Digital Markets when unsuccessfully campaigning to represent New York's 1st Congressional District. Read more: FTX's Bahamas unit paid co-CEO's MAGA Republican congressional candidate girlfriend $400,000

Shaquille O'Neal wants to make one thing clear: He doesn't believe in crypto, if he ever did. That's after being named in a class-action lawsuit against now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX last month, for promoting the company in a June commercial. "A lot of people think I'm involved, but I was just a paid spokesperson for a commercial," O'Neal says. Customers have been unable to withdraw funds from FTX since the company declared bankruptcy last month. Texas is now separately investigating some celebrity FTX endorsers for potentially violating state securities laws, according to Bloomberg.

Now, with the fraud charges filed earlier this week against Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the bankrupt FTX exchange, Williams has further solidified his office's growing role in prosecuting financial crimes involving cryptocurrency, according to interviews with a half-dozen former prosecutors. Bankman-Fried, 30, has acknowledged risk management failures at FTX but said he does not believe he has criminal liability. In the wake of Bankman-Fried's arrest, Williams has made clear he would plow on with cryptocurrency enforcement. On Wednesday, he announced wire fraud conspiracy charges against the founders of two separate cryptocurrency mining and trading companies he called Ponzi schemes. On Tuesday, Williams told reporters more charges in the FTX probe were possible.

☆ Caroline Ellison Was Alameda’s CEO, But Officials Say Sam Bankman-Fried Ran It
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Justin Baer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When Sam Bankman-Fried told his side of the story of what happened to FTX, the crypto exchange that went bankrupt on his watch last month, he often pointed the finger elsewhere. His favorite target was Alameda Research, the trading firm where Caroline Ellison was chief executive. This week, the U.S. government pointed back at Mr. Bankman-Fried.

☆ FTX Digital Executive Warned of Client Fund Transfers to Alameda, Documents Show
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jonathan Randles | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A top executive of FTX’s Bahamas subsidiary warned that country’s securities authority days before the company filed for bankruptcy Nov. 11 of customer fund transfers to Alameda Research, a cryptocurrency trading firm tied to FTX, according to documents made public Wednesday. The warning prompted the regulator to immediately seek a criminal investigation, according to the documents. Securities Commission Executive Director Christina Rolle requested that the financial crimes unit of the Royal Bahamas Police Force open an investigation into the subsidiary, FTX Digital Markets Ltd., the same day based on the warning of FTX Digital Chairman Ryan Salame.

Bankman-Fried and unnamed co-conspirators made "tens of millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions" to both Democratic and Republican candidates and campaign committees, Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for Southern New York, said at a news conference unveiling the eight-count criminal indictment, which included a campaign finance violation charge. "And all of this dirty money," Williams said, was used to "buy bipartisan influence and impact the direction of public policy in Washington." FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried is escorted by police officers as he leaves court in Nassau, Bahamas on Dec. 13, 2022. The indictment alleges he also made illegal contributions through a corporation, which it does not name. Once believed to be a financial wunderkind, Bankman-Fried also faces a host of other charges.

☆ FTX's new CEO accused the collapsed crypto exchange of 'old school' embezzlement that was 'not sophisticated at all'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

FTX's new CEO has accused the collapsed crypto exchange of "old school" embezzlement. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyFTX's new CEO has accused the crypto exchange of "old school" embezzlement in scathing congressional testimony. "This is really just old-fashioned embezzlement," Ray said. This is just plain old embezzlement. Old school, old school."

The Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday is holding a second day of hearings this week on the downfall of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, examining how the company's implosion could impact the nascent industry. Old school, old school." Bankman-Fried was charged by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York for a wide variety of crimes including wire fraud, securities fraud and violating campaign finance regulations. Though Ray and Bankman-Fried won't be part of the Senate Banking hearing on Wednesday, four cryptocurrency experts will be testifying instead, including Kevin O'Leary, a longtime paid FTX spokesman. "In my opinion, it is the largest Ponzi scheme in history by an order of magnitude."

☆ 'O.C.' star and crypto critic Ben McKenzie tells lawmakers that the crypto market is the 'largest Ponzi scheme in history'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The crypto market is the "largest Ponzi scheme in history," actor-turned-crypto critic Ben McKenzie said Wednesday. McKenzie, who co-wrote a book about crypto, testified to the Senate Banking committee about the fall of FTX. McKenzie was referring to financier Madoff who in 2009 was convicted of running a decades-long Ponzi scheme that conned his investors out of $65 billion and which collapsed during the 2008 financial crisis. In my opinion, the cryptocurrency industry represents the largest Ponzi scheme in history," said McKenzie, who co-wrote "Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud". "They have been lied to, in ways both big and small, by a once-seemingly mighty crypto industry whose entire existence in fact depends on misinformation, hype, and yes, fraud."

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