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☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyers prepare to question star witness
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —After two days of at-times emotional testimony from Caroline Ellison, a former top adviser to fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried, defense lawyers were set to begin questioning her on the stand Thursday. Ellison, 28, told jurors this week that she and Bankman-Fried, whom she dated on and off, committed financial crimes for years. Former crypto hedge fund Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison arrives for Sam Bankman-Fried's trial at Federal Court in New York City, October 11, 2023. Sam acted in good faith in trying to build and run FTX and Alameda.”But “things were happening quickly, very quickly,” Cohen said. “Sam and others made hundreds of decisions a day … as a result, some things got overlooked.”This story is developing and will be updated.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Sam Bankman, Ellison, Fried, Brendan McDermid, Mark Cohen, Sam didn’t, Sam, ” Cohen, “ Sam Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Alameda, Federal Court, Reuters Locations: New York, New York City, Alameda

Sam Bankman-Fried laughed and shook his head during Caroline Ellison's testimony, prosecutor claims. The prosecutor asked Bankman-Fried's lawyer to tell his client to control his reactions. Ellison gave emotional testimony Wednesday and appeared to place the blame for FTX's collapse on SBF. AdvertisementAdvertisementCaroline Ellison's testimony provoked a series of reactions from her ex-boyfriend Sam Bankman-Fried on Wednesday, a prosecutor said during a sidebar conversation. Prosecutor Danielle Sassoon told the judge in Bankman-Fried's criminal trial that the FTX cofounder had "laughed, visibly shaken his head, and scoffed" while Ellison testified.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Caroline Ellison's, Bankman, Ellison, —, Danielle Sassoon, Judge Lewis Kaplan, Mark Cohen, " Sassoon, Cohen, Lewis, he'd, he's Organizations: Service, Alameda Research Locations: Bankman, Manhattan

☆ Caroline Ellison says she wasn't an ambitious person until she met Sam Bankman-Fried
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Caroline Ellison, former chief executive officer of Alameda Research LLC, arrives to court in New York, US, on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. Ellison, ex-girlfriend of FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, outlined for a New York jury Wednesday how she worked with Sam Bankman-Fried to deceive lenders and customers to build his multi-billion dollar cryptocurrency empire, and their failed attempts to prevent a spectacular collapse. She pleaded guilty in December to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. By 2021, she testified, Bankman-Fried had largely stopped coming into the Alameda office and had left more of the job to Ellison. Ellison also testified that Bankman-Fried had discussed adding a new co-CEO when Trabucco left, but she resisted.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Ellison, FTX, Sam Bankman, Stephanie Keith, Mark Cohen, Lewis Kaplan, Cohen, Sam Trabucco, Alameda's, Trabucco, Fried, Ryan Salame, Ellison's Organizations: Alameda Research, New, Bloomberg, Getty, FTX Locations: New York, Manhattan, Alameda

Eventually, according to Ellison, Bankman-Fried chose the one that omitted a line saying "FTX borrows," hiding $10 billion in borrowed customer money. When asked by Sassoon why she continued with the scheme, Ellison said, "Sam told me to." She said Bankman-Fried told her she should have hedged and, "speaking loudly and strongly," said it was her fault. CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesEllison then went into her own emotional state. After all the movement of FTX money, the company only had $4 billion to cover $12 billion in customer holdings, she said.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Yuki Iwamura, Sam Bankman, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Ellison, Fried, Danielle Sassoon, Genesis, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Bankman, FTX, Mark Cohen, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Jane Rosenberg, Sassoon, Sam, Mohammed bin Salman, Jane Street, Slack, she'd, who'd, sloppily Organizations: Alameda Research, Bloomberg, Getty, Saudi Crown, U.S, District, Federal Court, Reuters, Stanford, Bankman, Wall, Alameda, New York Times, MBS, Vox, Forbes, Twitter, Toyota Corolla, Fried Bloomberg Locations: New York, Bankman, Alameda, FTX, New York City, U.S, San Francisco Bay, Saudi, Japan

Former crypto hedge fund Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison finds and points out Sam Bankman-Fried during Bankman-Fried's fraud trial over the collapse of FTX, the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., October 10, 2023, in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Champion Trust Llc FollowNEW YORK, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Caroline Ellison, the former co-head of Sam Bankman-Fried's hedge fund and a pivotal witness in his trial on fraud charges tied to the collapse of his FTX cryptocurrency exchange, is scheduled to retake the stand on Wednesday morning. Ellison, the former co-chief executive of Alameda Research, testified on Tuesday that she was part of a multibillion-dollar conspiracy led by Bankman-Fried to defraud FTX customers, investors and lenders. Ellison said the hedge fund took about $10 billion in FTX customer funds to repay its debts and make investments. A third cooperating witness, former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh, is also expected to testify at the trial, which could last up to six weeks.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Sam Bankman, Jane Rosenberg, Ellison, FTX, Bankman, shrugged, Fried, Mark Cohen, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Jody Godoy, Luc Cohen, Noeleen Walder, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Alameda, Federal Court, REUTERS, Alameda Research, Bankman, Manhattan U.S, Stanford University, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: FTX, New York City, U.S, Alameda, New York

Ellison said the hedge fund, Alameda Research, took about $10 billion in FTX customer funds to repay its debts and make investments. Gary Wang, FTX's former technology chief, testified that Bankman-Fried falsely tweeted that FTX was "fine" in November as the exchange faced surging demand for withdrawals. Bankman-Fried left in 2017 to found Alameda, and Ellison followed when he offered her a job as a trader. "He was very ambitious," Ellison told the court. In testimony that could undermine that argument, Ellison said she always consulted Bankman-Fried on big decisions and always deferred to him.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Eduardo Munoz, Caroline Ellison, Ellison, FTX, Fried, Mark Cohen, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Bankman, Jane, Joe Biden's, Cohen, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Luc Cohen, Jody Godoy, Noeleen Walder, Nick Zieminski, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Alameda Research, Manhattan U.S, Prosecutors, Alameda, Bankman, Wall, Ellison, New York Times, Times, District, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Alameda, FTX

In the memo, Bankman-Fried called Alameda's failure to hedge its bets a "mistake." When Everdell asked if the decision not to hedge was Ellison's, Wang replied that she was Alameda's CEO at the time. Prosecutors said last week they planned to call Ellison to take the stand once Wang finishes his testimony. She was seen entering the courthouse on Tuesday morning wearing a blue baseball cap and sunglasses, and carrying a blue thermos. A third former member of Bankman-Fried's inner circle, ex-FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh, is also expected to testify at trial.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Eduardo Munoz, Caroline Ellison, Christian Everdell's, Gary Wang, Everdell, Wang, Ellison, Prosecutors, Fried, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Nishad Singh, FTX, Christian Everdell, Mark Cohen, Luc Cohen, Jody Godoy, Noeleen Walder, Matthew Lewis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, Alameda Research, New York Times, U.S, District, Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, Bankman, Alameda, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Manhattan, Brooklyn's, Alameda, Washington ,

☆ SBF’s ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison takes the stand as government’s star witness
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Ellison, who ran FTX's sister hedge fund Alameda Research, pleaded guilty in December to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Ellison also spent years as Bankman-Fried's on-again, off-again girlfriend and, at times, his roommate. Caroline Ellison, former chief executive officer of Alameda Research LLC, center, arrives at court in New York, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. Noticeably absent thus far in proceedings is the mention of Ellison's co-CEO Sam Trabucco, who was a classmate of Bankman-Fried at MIT. Lawyers for the U.S. Attorney's office entered into evidence photos featuring Sam Bankman-Fried and his fellow co-workers at their shared $35 million Bahamian penthouse.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Sam Bankman, Ellison, Gary Wang —, Fried, Yuki Iwamura, Attorney Thane Rehn, Rehn, Mark Cohen, Ellison's, Sam Trabucco, Trabucco Organizations: Alameda Research, Stanford, Jane Capital, Alameda, Bloomberg, Getty, Attorney, MIT, U.S Locations: Manhattan, Alameda, San Francisco Bay, New York, FTX

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's ex-girlfriend set to take stand as fraud trial's star witness
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | 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/Eduardo Munoz//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Champion Trust Llc FollowNEW YORK, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's fraud trial is set to resume on Tuesday with testimony from his former colleagues at the now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange, including his onetime girlfriend Caroline Ellison. Prosecutors said last week they planned to call Ellison, the former co-chief executive officer of Bankman-Fried's Alameda Research hedge fund, to take the stand once Wang finishes his testimony. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said that likely amounted to witness-tampering, and on Aug. 11 revoked Bankman-Fried's bail. A third former member of Bankman-Fried's inner circle, ex-FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh, is also expected to testify at trial. Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Eduardo Munoz, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Prosecutors, Ellison, Wang, Ellison's, Fried, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Nishad Singh, FTX, Christian Everdell, Mark Cohen, Luc Cohen, Jody Godoy, Noeleen Walder, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Alameda Research, New York Times, U.S, District, Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, Bankman, Alameda, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Alameda, Brooklyn's, Manhattan, Washington ,

☆ Caroline Ellison is about to spill the beans on her ex-boyfriend Sam Bankman-Fried
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Grace Kay | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Caroline Ellison is set to testify later today in the criminal case against Sam Bankman-Fried. The former Alameda Research CEO is expected to be a key witness in the case against Bankman-Fried. AdvertisementAdvertisementAll eyes will be on star witness Caroline Ellison when she takes the stand later today in the trial against her ex-boyfriend and former boss Sam Bankman-Fried. They say Bankman-Fried siphoned money from customer accounts to fund crypto bets with Alameda Research, a hedge fund he controlled. Since the exchange collapsed, the former FTX CEO has attempted to put the blame for the platform's collapse on other executives, including Ellison.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Sam Bankman, Ellison, —, FTX, Eric Chaffee, Prosecutors, Fried, Mark Cohen, Ellison —, Cohen, BRYAN R, SMITH, Jane Street, Gary Wang —, Wang, Adam Yedidia, Chelsea Jia Feng, Yedidia, Caroline, Lewis Kaplan, who's, Michael Lewis Organizations: Alameda Research, Service, Case Western Reserve University, Manhattan Federal, Bankman, Alameda, Research, New York Times, US Department of Justice, US Locations: Bankman, FTX, Alameda, Bahamas, Manhattan

☆ Inside Sam Bankman-Fried's $35 million crypto frat house in the Bahamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 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. 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. Lawyers for the U.S. Attorney's office entered into evidence photos featuring Sam Bankman-Fried and his fellow co-workers at their shared $35 million Bahamian penthouse. In his testimony, Yedidia recalled a group Signal thread labeled "People of the House," which referred to Bankman-Fried's $35 million penthouse. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Exhibit from the prosecution shows Signal thread called "People of the House," referring to Bankman-Fried's $35 million penthouse, where many employees lived.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Gary Wang, Adam Yedidia, Caroline Ellison, She's, somethings, Lewis Kaplan, Yedidia, it's, Ryan Salame, Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Bankman, John Ray, Ray, Tiger Woods, Justin Timberlake, Michael Lewis, Lewis, napping, Mark Cohen, FTX, Ellison, hadn't Organizations: U.S, Southern, of, Lawyers, Alameda Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, SDNY, Bankman, Alameda, New Providence, FTX, Enron, Capitol, Prosecutors Locations: Bahamas, Manhattan, He's, of New York, Bankman, FTX, Alameda, Hong Kong, Caribbean, New Providence, New, U.S, Albany, oceanside

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's risk appetite was so large that he would flip a coin if losing meant destroying the world, Caroline Ellison testified
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sam Bankman-Fried said he was willing to destroy the world with a coin flip, Caroline Ellison said. Sam Bankman-Fried said he would flip the coin — and urged everyone else to do so, too, Caroline Ellison testified in court Tuesday. Aside from customer funds, Ellison testified in federal court on Tuesday, Alameda made its crypto bets using money from loans. Ellison testified about a point in time in 2021 when Bankman-Fried wanted to spend $3 billion on venture investments. In addition, she said, Alameda Research already had around $2.7 billion in liabilities at the time.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Caroline Ellison, SBF, —, Ellison, Genesis —, Ellison —, Mark Cohen Organizations: Service, Alameda Research Locations: Alameda, FTX

"Assets were not fine, because FTX did not have enough assets for customer withdrawals." On Friday, Wang testified that on Nov. 6, 2022, FTX executive Nishad Singh knocked on his door and told him customers were trying to withdraw their money faster than FTX could process the transactions. He said no other FTX users had those special privileges, which the exchange did not disclose to its investors or customers. After FTX declared bankruptcy on Nov. 11, 2022, Wang testified that at Bankman-Fried's direction, he turned over some remaining FTX customer assets to the Bahamas, where FTX was based. Wang said Bankman-Fried said liquidators and regulators there were more amenable to letting him stay in charge of FTX.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Nicolas Roos, Gary Wang, Jane Rosenberg, FTX, Wang, FTX's, Nishad Singh, CoinDesk, Bankman, WANG, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Christian Everdell, Caroline Ellison, Alameda's, Mark Cohen, Sam, Jody Godoy, Luc Cohen, David Gregorio, Nick Zieminski, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S, Federal Court, REUTERS, Alameda Research, Washington , D.C, District, Bankman, Thomson Locations: FTX, New York City, U.S, Manhattan, Washington ,, Alameda, Bahamas, Fried, United States, New York

Sam Bankman-Fried watches as Assistant U.S. Attorney Thane Rehn makes his opening remark in Bankman-Fried's fraud trial over the collapse of FTX, the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., October 4, 2023 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's fraud trial kicked off this week, nearly a year after the FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded declared bankruptcy in a collapse that shocked markets and left the 31-year-old wunderkind's reputation in tatters. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to charges of stealing billions of dollars in customer funds to prop up his crypto-focused hedge fund, Alameda Research. "Sam and his colleagues were building the plane as they were flying it," Cohen said in his opening statement on Wednesday. "The conversation began with me bringing up the large debt owed by Alameda to FTX and asking something like, 'are things OK?'"

Persons: Sam Bankman, Attorney Thane Rehn, Jane Rosenberg, Fried, Rehn, Mark Cohen, Sam, Cohen, Adam Yedidia, Fried's, Yedidia, Matt Huang, Huang, Gary Huang, Wang, Luc Cohen, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S, Attorney, Federal Court, REUTERS, Alameda Research, Manhattan U.S, ALAMEDA, Paradigm, Thomson Locations: Bankman, FTX, New York City, U.S, Thane, Alameda, New York

☆ Key takeaways from Sam Bankman-Fried’s first week in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And Alameda was the only FTX customer allowed to carry a negative balance. Christian Everdell and Mark Cohen, attorneys for Sam Bankman-Fried, exit court in New York on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2023. Star witness coming TuesdayCaroline Ellison, Alameda’s CEO and Bankman-Fried’s on-and-off girlfriend, is expected to take the stand when court resumes on Tuesday. Ellison, 28, is considered the prosecution’s star witness, given her position as the head of Alameda and her personal knowledge of Bankman-Fried’s behavior. According to court documents, when one employee asks who made the decision, Ellison responds: “Um … Sam, I guess.”

Persons: Sam Bankman, Gary Wang, Wang, SBF, Mark Cohen, Fried, FTX, Christian Everdell, Stephanie Keith, Everdell, “ FTX, ” Wang, ” FTX, Caroline Ellison, Ellison, Sam Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Bankman, Alameda, Bloomberg, Getty, “ Locations: New York, Alameda

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried isn't the only one on trial. The entire crypto industry is.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But first, we're looking at why FTX cofounder and ex-CEO Sam Bankman-Fried's criminal trial has implications that could upend the entire crypto industry. Bankman-Fried, the cofounder and ex-CEO of crypto exchange FTX, was deeply enmeshed in the crypto ecosystem. The proceedings will likely provide more fascinating details about the inner workings of FTX and the broader crypto industry, potentially airing out its dirty laundry and shortcomings. Chelsea Jia FengThe crypto industry, meanwhile, is ready to move on. Some in the crypto industry are embracing a more grown-up approach.

Persons: —, Sam Bankman, Donald Trump's, JANE ROSENBERG, Tom Brady, Kevin O'Leary, Michael Lewis, Katie Balevic, Jacob Shamsian, Grace Kay, Mark Cohen, Caroline Ellison, Chelsea Jia Feng, they'll, Spencer Platt, what's, Michael M, Arvind Krishna, Rahul Pandey's, Seth Wenig, AP Trump, scowled, Donald Trump, Tyler Le, Dianne Feinstein's, Kamala Harris, Sen, Chuck Schumer, Marc Anthony, Sofia Reyes, Pluma, Bad, Wells, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan, Annie Smith, Shona Ghosh, Jack Sommers, Spriha Srivastava Organizations: Service, Tech, Chelsea, Financial, Fidelity, PayPal, Visa, Getty, Treasury, Wall, Nvidia, IBM's, Meta, AP, IRS, trailblazing, Grupo Frontera, NBA, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Etihad Arena, The Dallas Mavericks, Etihad, Corporation National Media Locations: crypto's, Plenty, trailblazing California, Abu Dhabi, New York City, San Diego, London, New York

☆ FTX co-founder admits he and Sam Bankman-Fried committed fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —A key witness for prosecutors in the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried testified that both he and Bankman-Fried committed multiple financial crimes related to their oversight of now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. Gary Wang, who co-founded FTX with Bankman-Fried, told jurors — in compliance with an earlier plea deal — that he was guilty of wire fraud, securities fraud and commodities fraud, and that he committed those crimes under the direction of Bankman-Fried. Alameda’s ‘unlimited’ slush fundUnlike regular customers of FTX — a platform for individual investors and institutions to trade crypto — Alameda was allowed to run a negative balance and make “unlimited withdrawals” from FTX customers, Wang said. In response, “Sam said something like, ‘We were bulletproof last year; we’re not bulletproof this year,’” Yedidia told the jury. The $8 billion represented the money that FTX customers would be owed if they decided to withdraw their deposits, Yedidia said.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Gary Wang, Wang, FTX, haven’t, Mark Cohen, Nicolas Roos, ” Wang, empaneled, ‘, Adam Yedidia, Yedidia, SBF, “ Sam, ’ ” Yedidia, “, Sam, ” Yedidia, MIT undergrads, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Prosecutors, MIT Locations: New York, Alameda, FTX

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried decided at the last minute he didn't want to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos, leaving organizers scrambling
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried was supposed to speak at the WEF's flagship event in Davos. However, he decided not to show up the night before the event, per Michael Lewis' biography on the disgraced FTX founder. Lewis wrote SBF would cancel on people "because he'd done some math in his head that proved that you weren't worth the time." "CEOs had flown to the Bahamas under the mistaken impression that Sam had agreed to buy their companies," Lewis wrote in his book. The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is the organization's flagship event held at the end of each January in Davos, Switzerland.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Michael Lewis, Lewis, SBF, —, Sam, It's, Mark Cohen Organizations: Service, Economic, Political, Bankman Locations: Davos, Davos —, Bahamas, Switzerland, Dubai

NEW YORK, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's college roommate and ex-colleague, Gary Wang, testified on Thursday at the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder's fraud trial that Bankman-Fried told him to give a hedge fund they co-owned special trading privileges on FTX. The special privileges granted to the hedge fund, Alameda Research, included a $65 billion line of credit, several orders of magnitude bigger than the amount other users were able to borrow, he said. He added that Bankman-Fried had directed him to implement the changes giving Alameda special privileges. Wang, 30, is the first of three former close associates of Bankman-Fried to testify at the trial, which began on Tuesday. Wang said Bankman-Fried decided to name the firm Alameda Research because it "makes it easier to do business if the name doesn't mention trading or cryptocurrency."

Persons: Sam Bankman, Gary Wang, Fried, Wang, FTX, FTX's, Mark Cohen, Matt Huang, Huang, Bankman, Nishad Singh, Caroline Ellison, Alameda's, Adam Yedidia, Yedidia, Sam, Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Luc Cohen, Jody Godoy, Amy Stevens, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Alameda Research, Alameda, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Prosecutors, MIT, Stanford Law, Thomson Locations: Alameda, tatters, Manhattan, FTX, China, United States, Bahamas, Yedidia, New York

But FTX had asserted the opposite in an online post about a car race it sponsored in Miami Beach, Florida, six months before its November 2022 collapse. loadingAt Bankman-Fried's trial on Wednesday, prosecutors played for the jury FTX video advertisements in which a narrator said, "we're inviting everyone in," as well as spots featuring NFL quarterback Tom Brady and comedian Larry David. Bankman-Fried, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud and five counts of conspiracy over the collapse of FTX. Mark Cohen, Bankman-Fried's lawyer, said his client never intended to steal funds. "But on the other hand, many factors that nobody controlled could make crypto go up and down in value.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Mark Cohen, Jane Rosenberg, FTX, Shaquille O'Neal, Tom Brady, Larry David, Bankman, Prosecutors, cryptocurrency, Thane Rehn, Fried, Rehn, Cohen, O'Neal, Brady, David, Luc Cohen, Jody Godoy, Amy Stevens, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Federal Court, REUTERS, Twitter, Miami Heat, Thomson Locations: Bankman, FTX, New York City, U.S, Miami Beach , Florida, New York

Sam Bankman-Fried Trial appears at Federal Court in New York on Oct. 4th, 2023. Two years later, Julliard stood as the prosecution's first witness in the criminal fraud trial against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who's accused of misusing billions of dollars in client money. He and thousands of other FTX customers were practically wiped out when the exchange went belly up late last year. Allan Joseph Bankman, father of FTX Co-Founder Sam Bankman-Fried, and Barbara Fried, mother of FTX Co-Founder Sam Bankman-Fried, arrive at court in New York, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. WATCH: Sam Bankman-Fried criminal trial begins in New York

Persons: Sam Bankman, Claudia Johnson Marc, Antoine Julliard, Julliard, who's, FTX, Gisele Bündchen, Fried, Jane Rosenberg, Sam, Mark Cohen, Cohen, Attorney Thane, Rehn, Alameda's, Caroline Ellison, Allan Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Stephanie Keith, Ellison's, Sam Trabucco, Trabucco, Rein, Adam Yedidia, Bankman, Yedida, hadn't, Gary Wang Organizations: Court, FTX, Federal Court, Reuters Defense, Alameda Research, Bankman, Assistant U.S, Attorney, Capitol, U.S, Bloomberg, Getty, MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Prosecutors Locations: New York, London, Manhattan, FTX, New York City, U.S, Alameda, Attorney Thane Rehn, Rehn

In his opening statement, Rehn said Bankman-Fried used more than $10 billion in FTX customer funds to amass his own wealth, power and influence. But Rehn said FTX collapsed because of Bankman-Fried's plundering of FTX customer cash. According to prosecutors, Bankman-Fried installed Ellison, his sometime romantic partner, as a "front" to lead Alameda in 2021. "In reality he was still calling the shots at Alameda," Rehn said. But Bankman-Fried's lawyer said that handing over the reins was normal as FTX grew and took up his time.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Attorney Thane Rehn, Jane Rosenberg REFILE, Fried, Thane Rehn, Mark Cohen, Rehn, Cohen, Zhao, FTX, duping, Caroline Ellison, Ellison, Jody Godoy, Luc Cohen, Amy Stevens, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S, Attorney, Federal Court, REUTERS, Alameda Research, Alameda, Bankman, Thomson Locations: Bankman, FTX, New York City, U.S, Bahamas, Alameda, New York

Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyer tried to blame Caroline Ellison for FTX's collapse during opening statements. AdvertisementAdvertisementSam Bankman-Fried's defense attorney, Mark Cohen, took aim at the FTX cofounder's ex-girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, during his opening statements in the criminal trial over the collapse of FTX on Wednesday. Bankman-Fried is on trial in Manhattan federal court on charges that he defrauded FTX customers and investors out of billions of dollars. AdvertisementAdvertisementMeanwhile, prosecutor Thane Rehn told the jury that Bankman-Fried stole more than $10 billion from FTX customers, all while telling customers they could access their money at any time. "When customers put money in FTX, he stole it.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Caroline Ellison, —, Mark Cohen, Cohen, Fried, Ellison, Ellison didn't, What's, who'd, Thane Rehn, Rehn Organizations: Service, Alameda Research, New York Times, Reuters Locations: FTX, Alameda, Manhattan

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire was ‘built on lies,’ US prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —In their opening statements to a newly sworn-in jury in Manhattan federal court, lawyers laid out previews of their cases, offering two divergent narratives for the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire. The US government has charged Bankman-Fried with multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy, following the implosion of his crypto-trading platform, FTX, last year. But as his own lawyer, Mark Cohen, stepped up to speak, Bankman-Fried’s demeanor softened and his focus shifted to the jury box. “Sam didn’t defraud anyone,” he told jurors, arguing that his client acted in good faith throughout the rise and fall of his startups. Legal experts say Bankman-Fried’s lawyers have their work cut out for them.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Thane Rehn, ” Rehn, Fried, “, ”, Elizabeth Williams, Rehn, Mark Cohen, Cohen, Sam didn’t, Sam, ” Cohen, FTX’s, FTX, “ It’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Prosecutors Locations: New York, Manhattan, Bahamas

☆ SBF's attorney tried to blame the FTX collapse on the turbulence of cryptocurrency in general
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Prosecutors now say that Sam Bankman-Fried committed fraud and conspiracy when he oversaw FTX. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe collapse of FTX in 2022 wasn't the result of fraud or a deliberate scheme to steal from customers; it was just the nature of a volatile cryptocurrency market, Sam Bankman-Fried's attorney argued on Wednesday. His attorney, Mark Cohen, argued during opening statements on Wednesday that Bankman-Fried never intended to defraud anyone or mislead customers to get them to invest in FTX. For the first time since 2021, the crypto market overall was worth less than $1 trillion by June 2022. That kind of turbulence is precisely what can overwhelm burgeoning companies like FTX, Cohen tried to argue.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, SBF, —, Bankman, Mark Cohen, Cohen, Sam, FTX, Sheila Warren, Qiao Wang Organizations: Prosecutors, Service, Alameda Research, Crypto, Innovation, New York Times, Alliance Locations: FTX, Manhattan, Bahamas

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