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Bankman-Fried is expected to be arraigned on the new indictment on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan federal court. The new indictment said Bankman-Fried ordered the $40 million cryptocurrency payment to a private wallet from Alameda's main trading account, to persuade Chinese government authorities to unfreeze Alameda accounts with more than $1 billion of cryptocurrency. Prosecutors said the Alameda accounts had been frozen as part of an investigation into an unnamed Alameda counterparty, and Bankman-Fried's prior efforts to lobby Chinese officials to lift the freeze were unsuccessful. They also said Bankman-Fried around November 2021 authorized a transfer of tens of millions of dollars of additional cryptocurrency to "complete" the bribe. Concerns that Bankman-Fried might tamper with witnesses prompted Kaplan to threaten jailing him unless tighter restrictions could be worked out.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is reportedly paying his lawyers with a 'multi-million dollar gift' to his dad through Alameda
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried's "multi-million dollar gift" to his father is covering legal costs, per Forbes. Bankman-Fried had started Alameda in 2017 and was its CEO until October 2021, according to court filings by federal prosecutors in New York. Bankman-Fried also apparently rejected personal finance advice from his father, who had reportedly "begged his son to put away savings," according to Forbes. In an updated indictment unsealed on Tuesday, they also accused Bankman-Fried of trying to bribe Chinese officials with more than $40 million in payments to "influence" them. A hearing over the updated indictment has been scheduled for March 30 in New York federal court before US District Judge Lewis Kaplan.

The scheduled April 25 trial relates to Trump's alleged rape of Carroll in late 1995 or early 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan. In his Oct. 12 post, Trump said he did not know Carroll, that she made up the rape claim to promote her memoir, and that the claim was a "hoax," "lie," "con job" and "complete scam." Trump said his post amounted to commentary about Carroll's earlier lawsuit and his defenses, and therefore was protected. But the judge said Trump's post was neither a "report of any judicial proceeding" nor a "fair and true report" of such a proceeding that would justify immunity. The case is Carroll v Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No 22-10016.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried will be cut off from the internet on his phone and restricted to a basic laptop with limited functions as part of a new bail agreement
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers and US prosecutors have agreed on a set of new bail terms. Under the proposed terms, the FTX founder will not have internet access on his phone. The disgraced crypto exec will be given a new phone with no internet access and a new laptop with limited functionality under the agreement. Prosecutors on Tuesday unveiled new charges against Bankman-Fried, including a bribery conspiracy charge that alleges the former exec paid $40 million to "influence" Chinese officials. The new bail terms come after prosecutors raised the prospect of sending the disgraced crypto mogul back to jail before trial after suspicions that Bankman-Fried attempted to contact witnesses.

NEW YORK, March 28 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried said they reached an agreement with U.S. prosecutors on Monday on revised bail conditions, after a judge raised the prospect of sending the indicted FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder to jail pending trial. The laptop will have monitoring software to track user activity and Bankman-Fried won't have administrative access to prevent tampering with the restrictions. In Monday's letter, Bankman-Fried's parents agreed to restrict his access to their devices, while also signing sworn affidavits to not bring prohibited electronic devices into their home. If there's reasonable suspicion of a violation, Bankman-Fried must submit his devices for a search, the letter added. But in January, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Bankman-Fried attempted to contact current executives at now-bankrupt FTX.

NEW YORK, March 28 (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday unveiled a new indictment against Sam Bankman-Fried, accusing the founder of now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange of conspiring to pay a $40 million bribe to Chinese government officials. The indictment said Bankman-Fried ordered the $40 million cryptocurrency payment to a private wallet from Alameda's main trading account, to persuade Chinese authorities to unfreeze Alameda accounts with more than $1 billion of cryptocurrency. Prosecutors said the Alameda accounts had been frozen as part of an investigation into an unnamed Alameda counterparty. They also said Bankman-Fried later authorized a transfer of tens of millions of dollars of cryptocurrency to "complete" the bribe. Under the new conditions, Bankman-Fried would be barred from using electronics except for a phone with no internet capability and a basic laptop with limited functions.

Donziger's lawyers argued that this appointment violated separation-of-powers principles set out in the Constitution delineating the authority of the three branches of the U.S. government. In 2011, an Ecuadorian court entered an $18 billion judgment that was later reduced to $9.5 billion against Chevron for contamination resulting from oil production. In 2014, Kaplan concluded in that case that the Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron in Ecuador was obtained fraudulently through a corrupt process, rendering it unenforceable in the United States. When Chevron suspected Donziger was violating a related ban on trying to monetize or profit from the judgment, Kaplan ordered him to turn over electronic devices and email accounts for examination. After federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to take the case, Kaplan in an unusual move tapped a private lawyer, Rita Glavin, to lead the prosecution of Donziger.

☆ Judge cites Trump's past verbal attacks in using anonymous jury for rape defamation case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Citing former President Donald Trump's history of verbally attacking people in the legal system, a federal judge ruled Thursday that a jury will be anonymous at his upcoming civil trial for allegedly defaming a writer after she accused him of raping her. "Mr. Trump repeatedly has attacked courts, judges, various law enforcement officials and other public officials, and even individual jurors in other matters," Manhattan U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote in his order. Trump in that probe is being eyed for a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Kaplan said he would keep secret the names, addresses and places of employment of prospective jurors for the rape defamation trial, which is set to begin April 25. Her lawsuit also makes a claim of battery for the purported assault under a new New York law that temporarily lifts the statute of limitations for old rape and molestation claims.

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., March 4, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinNEW YORK, March 23 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said Donald Trump will get an anonymous jury in rape accuser E. Jean Carroll's upcoming defamation trial, citing the risk of juror harassment and noting Trump's reaction to possibly being indicted in an unrelated case. Carroll has said Trump raped her in late 1995 or early 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan. Carroll is separately suing Trump for defamation over his June 2019 denial that the rape occurred. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Trump rape case jurors will go to court in secret so Trump can't harass them
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Ashley Collman | Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A judge has ruled the jurors will be kept anonymous in the upcoming defamation trial against Donald Trump. Judge Kaplan said he'll keep them secret so Trump and his supporters can't harass them. E. Jean Carroll, who accuses Trump raped her in the 90s, is suing Trump for defamation and battery. But Kaplan wrote that Leish's arguments for keeping the jurors public were "unpersuasive" in convincing him that the public interest in the case outweighs the jurors' safety. E. Jean Carroll.

Carroll and Trump had said combining Carroll's civil lawsuits would be more efficient and avoid juror confusion. He also noted that both sides are awaiting a decision from a Washington, D.C. appeals court on whether Trump was immune from the first lawsuit, making a trial unnecessary. An April 25 trial in her second lawsuit remains on schedule. Her second lawsuit also includes a battery claim under New York's Adult Survivors Act. The cases are Carroll v. Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Nos.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried, U.S. prosecutors near new bail agreement
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 17 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried are nearing an agreement with U.S. prosecutors on revised bail conditions for the indicted FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder, who is trying to convince a skeptical judge he should remain free. Bankman-Fried's lawyers have said their client was trying to help, not interfere. At the March 10 hearing, prosecutors and defense lawyers proposed giving Bankman-Fried a flip phone with no internet capability and a basic laptop with limited functions. In Friday's letter, Everdell also sought the judge's permission to let Bankman-Fried in the meantime use a laptop to access some FTX materials. The case is U.S. v. Bankman-Fried, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

NEW YORK, March 17 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump and E. Jean Carroll have agreed to a single trial on whether Trump defamed the former Elle magazine columnist by denying he raped her in the mid-1990s. Carroll has been pursuing separate lawsuits over those statements, with the first scheduled for trial on April 10. Carroll sued again three years later after Trump called the rape claim a "hoax," "lie," "con job" and "complete scam" in a social media post. Both sides proposed asking that court on April 17 to defer any decision until the trial is over. The cases are Carroll v. Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Nos.

Diners said this forced them to pay artificially high prices for meals they ordered elsewhere. In response, the companies said that by accepting the terms of use for their platforms, diners agreed to arbitrate their claims individually and not pursue a class action in court. The diners' claims "are based solely on purchases made directly from restaurants or from non-defendant meal-delivery platforms," Kaplan wrote. Grubhub, Uber Eats, Postmates and their respective lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Grubhub is owned by Netherlands-based Just Eat Takeaway.com (TKWY.AS), while Uber Eats and Postmates are owned by Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N).

☆ Trump cannot exclude 'Access Hollywood' tape from rape accuser's trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | Industry Insight | What A Law Firm Client Development Manager Says About Client Listening Programs | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Carroll sought to introduce an excerpt from the tape, which was recorded in 2005 and where Trump boasted about forcing himself on women, as evidence that Trump had a propensity for sexual assaults comparable to hers. In the "Access Hollywood" excerpt, Trump graphically described his unsuccessful attempt to have a sexual encounter with a married woman, and described himself as being attracted to beautiful women. The tape was released in October 2016 and threatened to upend Trump's White House run. Kaplan also rejected Trump's bid to exclude testimony from two other women who claimed he sexually assaulted them, and evidence that Carroll suffered emotional harm. The cases are Carroll v. Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Nos.

☆ Judge concerned Sam Bankman-Fried is too ‘technologically savvy,’ could find a way around tech restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Lauren Del Valle | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —United States District Judge Lewis Kaplan indicated at a hearing Friday he might modify FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s bail conditions, but only after attorneys further tighten the restrictions on Bankman-Fried’s access to technology. Kaplan said he’s still not convinced that the founder of bankrupt crypto trading platform FTX wouldn’t be able to circumvent the more-restrictive bail conditions that were filed last week. “If he’s determined and inventive and I suspect he’s very inventive and technologically savvy he could find a way around it and conceivably not get caught,” Kaplan said in court Friday. Bankman-Fried, who did not attend Friday’s hearing, is currently under house arrest at his parents’ home in Palo Alto, Calif. Judge Kaplan asked the defense to submit an updated bail modification order that would tighten the restrictions to address his concerns.

☆ Judge to weigh Bankman-Fried's trial schedule, bail conditions at hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | 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: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge is expected on Friday to consider what restrictions Sam Bankman-Fried should face while free on bail, and whether the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder's Oct. 2 fraud trial should be pushed back. In a letter to Kaplan on Wednesday, Bankman-Fried's lawyers said they may need more time than expected to review the evidence and prepare a defense in light of the new charges. Ellison and Wang, once among Bankman-Fried's closest associates, have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government. Prosecutors, defense lawyers and Kaplan began revisiting Bankman-Fried's bail conditions after the government said he sought to contact FTX Chief Executive John Ray and an in-house lawyer in what prosecutors described as a possible attempt to tamper with witnesses. Defense lawyers said Bankman-Fried was trying to help, not interfere.

NEW YORK, March 8 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers said on Wednesday it may be necessary to delay the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder's scheduled Oct. 2 criminal trial, arguing it may take more time than expected to review the evidence and prepare a defense. Both have since pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. "While we are not making such an application at this time, we wanted to note this issue for the Court now," Christian Everdell, one of Bankman-Fried's lawyers, wrote in the letter. Bankman-Fried was released on $250 million bond and has been under house arrest at his parents' Palo Alto, California home. The trial schedule and Bankman-Fried's bail conditions are expected to be discussed at a court hearing on Friday.

LONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - The founder of collapsed private equity company Abraaj Group on Wednesday lost a bid to challenge his extradition from London to the United States to face fraud charges. Judge Jonathan Swift on Wednesday refused Naqvi permission to bring a judicial review against the 2021 approval of his extradition to the United States. Naqvi also suffers from severe depression and there is a “real risk” of suicide if he is extradited, Fitzgerald argued. The judge also said that Naqvi’s suicide risk could be adequately managed if he was held in prison. Naqvi’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Analysis: Bankman-Fried's bid to shift blame complicated by new charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | 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

Former FTX technology chief Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison, formerly the CEO of Bankman-Fried's Alameda Research hedge fund, had each previously pleaded guilty and are cooperating. Bankman-Fried previously pleaded not guilty to stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer funds to plug losses at Alameda. The 31-year-old former billionaire and his lawyers have suggested they will attempt to shift blame onto Ellison and dispute her expected testimony at his Oct. 2 trial. In unveiling the new charges in a superseding indictment, prosecutors dismissed the idea that Bankman-Fried was in the dark about his former colleagues' crimes. Despite the hurdles, experts said Bankman-Fried will still likely dispute that he knew former members of his inner circle were breaking the law, Kasten said.

NEW YORK, March 4 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried should be allowed while on bail to have a flip phone with no internet capability and a basic laptop with limited functions, but be forbidden from using other electronic communication devices, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The judge said he did not want to set Bankman-Fried "loose in this garden of electronic devices," following accusations that Bankman-Fried tried to contact possible government witnesses and used a virtual private network to watch football. The proposed flip phone or other non-smartphone for Bankman-Fried would be limited to voice calls and SMS text messages. Laptop internet use would be restricted to specified virtual private networks, 23 websites for personal use including news, sports and food delivery, and websites to help Bankman-Fried prepare for his scheduled Oct. 2 trial. The parents agreed to submit sworn affidavits that they would not bring other electronic devices into their home or let their son use theirs.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is now restricted to a flip phone with 'no internet,' but can still watch Netflix on a laptop
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The letter said he can use a flip phone or non-smartphone device with "no internet capabilities." The FTX founder and his parents have been required to install security software on their devices. He is now allowed to use "a flip phone or other non-smartphone with either no internet capabilities or internet capabilities disabled," prosecutors wrote. They will also be required to install security software on their devices that will take periodic videos and selfies of them, the letter stated. Representatives for Bankman-Fried didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider made outside normal working hours.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers agreed to pay for an expert to explain VPNs and disappearing messages to the judge in his case
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried has been banned from using VPNs and auto-deleting messaging apps while on bail. Judge Lewis Kaplan then warned about sending the FTX cofounder back to jail over his use of electronics. And now Bankman-Fried's lawyers have agreed to pay for a technology expert to advise the 78-year-old judge. The letter, signed by Bankman-Fried's attorney Christian Everdell and viewed by Insider, said lawyers agreed to the appointment of "an independent technical expert, paid for by the defense, to advise the Court on technical issues concerning Mr. Bankman-Fried's bail conditions." The 78-year-old judge then proposed that the defense pay for an expert to advise him on VPNs and other technical matters related to Bankman-Fried's bail conditions, per CNN.

☆ Judge Seeks Tougher Bail Restrictions for Sam Bankman-Fried
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Corinne Ramey | James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A federal judge on Thursday voiced growing discomfort with Sam Bankman-Fried ’s bail conditions, ordering prosecutors and the defense to hammer out appropriately tough restrictions on the FTX founder’s access to electronic devices as he awaits trial on fraud charges. The command, from U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan , came after weeks of wrangling over the terms of Mr. Bankman-Fried’s house arrest. Federal prosecutors in January said he contacted a potential witness from his parents’ Palo Alto, Calif., home, which they said could constitute tampering. They also objected to his use of encrypted messaging applications like Signal and this week added a new concern, about Mr. Bankman-Fried accessing the internet through a virtual private network, or VPN, that obscures his location.

NEW YORK, Feb 16 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday is set to weigh tighter restrictions on Sam Bankman-Fried's internet use, after prosecutors said the indicted FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder may be trying to hide some of his online activity. On Tuesday, Kaplan banned Bankman-Fried from using VPNs which can disguise an internet user's physical location. Bankman-Fried's lawyers said his attempts to contact FTX's current chief executive and general counsel were efforts to help, not interfere. They proposed letting him communicate by phone, email, SMS text messaging and Twitter direct messaging, while disabling iMessage from his phone. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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