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NEW YORK, Dec 27 (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors have filed criminal charges of commodities fraud and manipulation against a man accused of trying to steal about $110 million in October by rigging the Mango Markets cryptocurrency exchange. Eisenberg was arrested on Monday night in Puerto Rico, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan said in a court filing. Mango is a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange run by Mango DAO that lets investors lend, borrow, swap, and use leverage to trade cryptocurrency assets. Mango soon began negotiations with Eisenberg and reached a settlement to recoup $67 million. The case is U.S. v. Eisenberg, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried may have trouble getting a plea bargain as 'the buck presumably stopped with him,' former federal prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A plea bargain may be out of reach for Sam Bankman-Fried, according to a former federal prosecutor. The buck presumably stopped with him. But it's unclear if Bankman-Fried can point the finger at others. He could still offer a quick guilty plea, similar to what Bernie Madoff did in 2009 after his Ponzi scheme was exposed. But Madoff got a substantial sentence anyway, McGinley noted, so "the options here are very limited" for Bankman-Fried.

☆ Trump's lawyers keep getting slammed for filing conspiratorial lawsuits. Here are the 16 sanctioned so far.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Lawyers representing Trump keep getting sanctioned by courts. Sixteen different lawyers have been sanctioned over failed lawsuits brought on the former president's behalf. Many of Trump's lawyers, even if they are not sanctioned, end up needing lawyers of their own to ward off the worst consequences. Still, as many 16 lawyers have been personally sanctioned because of their work for Trump, and Insider has compiled a list. The least successful, however, was a sprawling lawsuit Trump filed against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and several other figures linked to Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

☆ 'Real Housewife' Jen Shah should get 10 years in prison following guilty plea for wire fraud, feds say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Smith also pleaded not guilty to the charges in April 2021, but later changed his plea to guilty in November 2021, court records show. Another victim with several serious health conditions said she became homeless after being pushed into nearly $30,000 debt through Shah’s scheme. Shah starred on the show since its first season, which premiered in 2020; the third season is currently airing. "For that, I am genuinely sorry, and I will work for the rest of my life to make it right." Shah also claimed in that statement that she joined "The Real Housewives" to "escape the coaching business" and "have a platform to launch my fashion and beauty business."

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried faces hearing after U.S extradition
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSam Bankman-Fried faces hearing after U.S extraditionCNBC's MacKenzie Sigalos reports on Sam Bankman-Fried's initial hearing in the Southern District of New York.

FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who is accused of misappropriating billions of dollars deposited in the crypto currency exchange, will be released on $250 million personal recognizance bond, a federal judge in New York ruled Thursday. Bankman-Fried, wearing a dark blue suit and tan shoes, walked into court with shackles around his ankles. A recognizance bond is a written commitment from the accused to appear in court when ordered. Bankman-Fried’s parents, both Stanford Law professors, were in the courtroom. Sam Bankman-Fried, center, arrives at the Magistrate Court building for a hearing in Nassau, Bahamas, on Dec. 21, 2022.

The co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX and the former CEO of Sam Bankman-Fried's hedge fund, Alameda Research, have pleaded guilty to fraud, a federal prosecutor in New York said Wednesday. The SEC complaint alleges that Wang "created FTX’s software code that allowed Alameda to divert FTX customer funds," and that Ellison used those funds for Alameda's trading. The SEC complaint alleges a complex scheme to trick both investors and customers into believing that FTX had strict and advance risk mitigation. "From the inception of FTX, Defendants and Bankman-Fried diverted FTX customer funds to Alameda, and continued to do so until FTX’s collapse in November 2022," the SEC complaint reads. “If you participated in misconduct at FTX or Alameda, now is the time to get ahead of it,” he said.

Federal prosecutors endorsed plans to allow two former Sam Bankman-Fried lieutenants, Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison, to post bail after both pleaded guilty to supporting a multibillion-dollar fraud allegedly perpetrated by former FTX CEO Bankman-Fried, court documents show. Wang and Ellison would be required to post $250,000 in bail each, surrender their passports and restrict their travel to the continental United States. In addition to admitting their complicity in the collapse of FTX, Wang and Ellison signed consent orders with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a civil concession that Bankman-Fried has yet to make. Wang, 29, and Ellison, 28, both pleaded guilty to fraud charges stemming from their leadership positions at FTX and Alameda, respectively. In a prerecorded statement Wednesday night, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the indicted former FTX CEO had been taken into FBI custody after a chaotic Bahamas extradition process.

☆ Caroline Ellison, ex-Alameda CEO, and FTX cofounder Gary Wang have pleaded guilty to charges and are cooperating with authorities, US attorneys say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, and FTX cofounder Gary Wang have pleaded guilty to fraud. Both have also agreed to cooperate with the prosecutors, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York said. FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried is being transferred to the US from Bahamas. Ellison and Wang have also agreed to cooperate with the prosecutors, Williams added in a statement. —US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) December 22, 2022The development came just as FTX cofounder Sam Bankman-Fried is set to be extradited to the US on Wednesday night.

☆ Caroline Ellison, who has pleaded guilty to fraud in the FTX collapse, left behind a trail of hot takes about crypto, race science, and polyamory. Here are some of the most striking quotes.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | Yoonji Han | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Caroline Ellison faces up to 110 years in prison after pleading guilty to seven charges, including fraud. Twitter and Tumblr accounts thought to be linked to Ellison contain musings about race science and gender roles. On December 18, Ellison struck a plea deal with prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, pleading guilty to seven charges including wire and securities fraud. According to Ellison's plea deal, she has agreed to provide prosecutors with evidence and "truthfully testify" about the FTX implosion during court trials. December 22, 2022: This story has been updated to reflect the details of Ellison's plea deal.

☆ Gary Wang, the mysterious FTX cofounder, has pleaded guilty to fraud charges. Here's what we know about the key player in the failed crypto empire.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

FTX cofounder Gary Wang was a critical player during the rise and fall of SBF's crypto empire . Wang also served as FTX's former chief technology officer but kept a low profile. Wang served as the chief technology officer at FTX until the exchange collapsed in mid-November. Wang later became the chief technology officer at FTX, establishing himself as a key member of the crypto empire's inner circle. Fraud charges and guilty pleaUnlike his cofounder, Wang has largely disappeared from view since he was fired from FTX after the company's implosion.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's mother is pictured arriving at his bail hearing in New York
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried's mother, Barbara Fried, is a professor at Stanford Law School. Barbara Fried, a professor emerita at Stanford Law School, was seen laughing during Bankman-Fried's hearing earlier this month in the Bahamas when her son was called a "fugitive." Barbara Fried on her way to her son Sam Bankman-Fried's bail hearing. Until recently, Bankman-Fried's parents— both associated with Stanford Law School— have been accompanying their son in the Bahamas, where FTX was based. Joseph Bankman is described as a "leading scholar in the field of tax law," in his biography in the Stanford Law School directory.

☆ Read the CFTC complaint against FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried and his associates Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The CFTC filed fraud charges against Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang on Wednesday. Bankman-Fried, who cofounded FTX and Alameda, was arrested in the Bahamas last week and extradited to the US on Wednesday. The amended complaint charges Ellison with fraud and material misrepresentations and Wang with fraud. The CFTC said Ellison and Wang didn't contest their liability on its claims. On Wednesday the Securities and Exchange Commission also charged Ellison and Wang with participating in a scheme to defraud both FTX's equity investors and its customers.

☆ Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda, is facing up to 110 years in prison after pleading guilty to 7 charges including fraud in the FTX collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, is facing up to 110 years in prison. Per her plea deal, Ellison has pleased guilty to seven charges, including wire, securities, and commodities fraud. According to the plea agreement, Ellison faces seven charges that collectively carry a maximum prison sentence of 110 years. As part of her plea deal, Ellison must cooperate fully with prosecutors, the FBI, and any other law enforcement agencies. Also working with Bankman-Fried and Ellison at Alameda Research was FTX cofounder Gary Wang.

☆ Sam-Bankman Fried to be released on $250 million bail and will be required to stay with parents ahead of FTX trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sam Bankman-Fried was granted release on $250 million bail at a court hearing Thursday. He will be required to surrender his passport and stay with his parents ahead of a federal trial on a list of charges tied to the failure of FTX. Bankman-Fried will be required to attend a court hearing in California at 10 a.m. Friday, Gorenstein ruled. Another court hearing is scheduled for January 3 in Manhattan, where Bankman-Fried is expected to enter a plea. Criminal allegations against Ellison and Wang, first filed on December 19, were unsealed in court on Thursday morning ahead of Bankman-Fried's court appearance.

FTX co-founder Gary Wang and former Alameda Research co-CEO Caroline Ellison both pleaded guilty to federal charges in the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a message Wednesday. Wang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Ellison pleaded guilty 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. The SEC alleges that both Ellison and Wang, in their respective roles at Alameda and FTX, abetted Bankman-Fried in allegedly defrauding FTX customers. Ellison, 28, and Wang, 29, become the second and third individuals to be charged in connection with FTX's multibillion-dollar collapse.

☆ Gary Wang, the mysterious FTX cofounder, is cooperating with prosecutors. Here's what we know about the key player in the failed crypto empire.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

FTX cofounder Gary Wang was a critical player during the rise and fall of SBF's crypto empire . Throughout his time at FTX, Wang maintained a limited online presence and steered clear of media interviews, leaving the limelight to his cofounder, Sam Bankman-Fried. But at FTX, Wang was a somewhat reclusive figure, per reports. Fraud charges and guilty pleaUnlike his cofounder, Wang has largely disappeared from view since he was fired from FTX after the company's implosion. "All of the sudden that snapped into he was leaving that day, back to the US and implicitly mostly stopped working," Bankman-Fried told the news outlet.

President Joe Biden will announce six new judicial nominees in his final batch of selections in 2022, a White House official told NBC News, as it looks to two more years of reshaping the federal courts under an expanded Democratic Senate majority. The nominees are for federal district courts — one in Indiana, two in New Jersey and three in California. The White House said they’ll be among the first nominees sent to the Senate early in the new year, when another session begins. Democrats gained a seat in the 2022 election and may have an easier time processing judges in 2023 and 2024. The new round will bring Biden’s total announced judicial nominees to 150, the White House said.

CNN —Two senior executives associated with collapsed crypto exchange FTX have pleaded guilty to multiple criminal charges and are cooperating with federal prosecutors, according to unsealed court records. Additionally, the pair face civil fraud charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission that were announced Wednesday night. Wang cofounded FTX with Bankman-Fried in 2019 and also worked with him at his hedge fund Alameda Research. Ellison is pleading guilty to seven counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Wang has agreed to plead guilty to four counts: wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of FTX, is escorted out of the Magistrate's Court in Nassau, Bahamas, on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried signed extradition papers in the Bahamas and will return to the U.S. on Wednesday, a Bahamas prison official told NBC News. Bankman-Fried stands accused by federal law enforcement and financial regulators of perpetrating what the SEC called one of the largest and most "brazen" frauds in recent memory. Bankman-Fried was indicted in New York federal court on Dec. 9 and was arrested three days later by Bahamas law enforcement at the request of U.S. prosecutors. WATCH: Sam Bankman-Fried defied the advice of lawyers

☆ Two New York men arrested for conspiring with Russians to hack JFK taxi system
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Arriving passengers line up to get taxi outside of Terminal 4 at the JFK airport in New York. Two New York men were arrested for conspiring with Russian nationals to hack the taxi dispatch system at John F. Kennedy International Airport so they could manipulate the line and charge drivers for access to the front of the queue, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. "I know that the Pentagon is being hacked… so can't we hack the taxi industry[?]" Typically, taxi drivers looking to pick up travelers at JFK wait in a holding lot before they're dispatched to a specific terminal in the order in which they arrived. "For years, the defendants' hacking kept honest cab drivers from being able to pick up fares at JFK in the order in which they arrived," Williams said.

☆ N.Y. bishop robbed during livestreamed service is arrested on fraud and extortion charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The New York City bishop who was robbed of around $1 million in jewelry during a livestreamed service in July was arrested Monday morning and is facing fraud and extortion charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. "His campaign of fraud and deceit stops now.”If convicted, Whitehead faces a minimum of 20 years in prison, court documents say. “Bishop Lamor Whitehead is not guilty of these charges. “You wanna come preach?” he’s heard saying toward the end of the livestreamed service. Whitehead wasn’t arrested, according to police, but the bishop disagreed and said he was put in a holding cell.

☆ How FTX founder SBF and friends quietly donated to political groups and relatives
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is led by officers of the Royal Bahamas Police force following his arrest. The disgraced CEO donated to his brother Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit organization, Guarding Against Pandemics. Alameda Research donated more than $12 million to Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit since late last year, according to California state campaign finance records. California state campaign finance records show Alameda donated $5 million to Guarding Against Pandemics last year and $7.1 million this year. Guarding Against Pandemics also paid political communications and media company GMMB just over $690,000 last year for advertising and production, its tax form says.

☆ Premarket stocks: Why the market is obsessed with unemployment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Stocks plunged earlier this month after the closely watched November jobs report showed a resilient labor market. They fell again on Thursday when weekly numbers showed the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell, indicating a still-tight labor market. “There’s an imbalance in the labor market between supply and demand,” he said, adding that it will take a “substantial period” to fix that imbalance. That path to the Fed’s 2% inflation target is through the jobs market. “There will be some softening in labor market conditions,” Powell said.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried to appear in court Monday to drop extradition fight
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to appear in a Bahamas court on Monday to reverse his decision to contest extradition to the US, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. The New York Times also reported that Bankman-Fried is expected to agree to extradition to the US, citing a person briefed on the matter. Bankman-Fried could face up to 115 years in prison if convicted on all eight counts against him, though he likely wouldn’t get the maximum sentence. He was arraigned Tuesday, and a Bahamian judge denied his request for bail, saying that he posed a flight risk. His extradition to the United States could take weeks.

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