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☆ Caroline Ellison took a $22.5 million bonus from Alameda, FTX alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

FTX's bankruptcy estate is going after the crypto exchange's top leaders to try to take back funds. Sam Bankman-Fried and others took "hundreds of millions of dollars," FTX alleged in a court filing. Caroline Ellison, once co-CEO of the trading firm Alameda, took a $22.5 million bonus, FTX said. For instance, Ellison improperly took $22.5 million in bonus payments from Alameda Research, the trading firm she helped lead as co-CEO, FTX alleged in a filing this month in Delaware bankruptcy court. Representatives for Ellison, Wang, and Singh did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on Friday afternoon.

Persons: Sam Bankman, FTX, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Ellison, Nishad Singh, Wang, Singh, Fried Organizations: Morning, Alameda Research, FTX Locations: Alameda, Delaware, FTX, Albany, Bahamas

☆ Bankman-Fried campaign finance charge dropped, lessening trial's political focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | 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: +3 min

He got a modest victory on Wednesday night when prosecutors decided to drop a campaign finance charge claiming the former billionaire illegally directed associates to donate millions of dollars to political campaigns. Mark Kasten, a lawyer at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in Philadelphia, said dropping the campaign finance charge could help Bankman-Fried by letting his lawyers "focus their narrative" on the fraud case. "Jurors have a visceral reaction to campaign finance charges: campaign finance charges are crimes on the public, and jurors themselves are indirect victims," he said. Ellison, the former chief executive of Bankman-Fried's crypto-focused hedge fund Alameda Research, pleaded guilty to fraud charges and is expected to testify against him. Nishad Singh, FTX's former director of engineering, pleaded guilty to fraud and campaign finance charges, saying he used transfers from Alameda to make political donations in part to bolster Bankman-Fried's and FTX's political influence.

Persons: Buchanan Ingersoll, Rooney, Sam Bankman, Caroline Ellison, FTX, Fried, Bankman, Mark Kasten, Ellison, Nishad Singh, FTX's, Gary Wang, Luc Cohen, Chris Reese Organizations: New York Times, U.S, Bankman, Alameda Research, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Bahamas, Philadelphia, Alameda, New York

☆ Prosecutors drop another charge against FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Federal prosecutors dropped a campaign finance charge against Sam Bankman-Fried, the second time that they have narrowed the indictment against the founder of crypto exchange FTX . The U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan previously dropped another charge against him, for violating anti-bribery statutes, on the same grounds. The alleged scheme precipitated the collapse of Bankman-Fried's FTX and sent shockwaves throughout the crypto industry. Prosecutors had alleged that Bankman-Fried funneled hundreds of millions of dollars in bipartisan campaign financing through two unnamed co-conspirators to avoid campaign contribution limits. "Accordingly, in keeping with its treaty obligations to The Bahamas, the Government does not intend to proceed to trial on the campaign contributions count," prosecutors wrote.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Lewis Kaplan, Fried, FTX, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh Organizations: Prosecutors, Attorney's, Kaplan, United, Government, Bankman Locations: Bahamas, U.S, Manhattan, United States

July 20 (Reuters) - FTX Trading on Thursday sued founder Sam Bankman-Fried and other former executives of the cryptocurrency exchange, seeking to recoup more than $1 billion they allegedly misappropriated before FTX went bankrupt. FTX is now led by John Ray, who helped manage Enron after the energy trader's 2001 bankruptcy. FTX said Bankman-Fried and Wang also misappropriated $546 million to buy shares of Robinhood Markets (HOOD.O), while Ellison used $28.8 million to pay herself bonuses. The case is FTX Trading Ltd et al v Bankman-Fried et al, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware, No. The main bankruptcy case is In re FTX Trading Ltd et al in the same court, No.

Persons: Sam Bankman, FTX, Caroline Ellison, Gary, Wang, Nishad Singh, Fried, John Ray, Ellison, Singh, Jonathan Stempel, Mike Scarcella, Leslie Adler Organizations: Alameda Research, Enron, U.S, Robinhood, Bankruptcy, District of, FTX, bk, Thomson Locations: Delaware, Alameda, U.S, District, District of Delaware, New York

☆ FTX lawyers accuse Sam Bankman-Fried of financing his criminal defense with $10 million in misappropriated funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of failed crypto exchange FTX, was sued in Delaware bankruptcy court on Thursday by his ex-company's lawyers, who accuse him and members of his leadership team of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars. The lawyers are seeking to recover funds from Bankman-Fried and former executives of FTX and sister hedge fund Alameda Research. One way the attorneys for the bankrupt exchange say Bankman-Fried pilfered money was through a $10 million gift to his father, distinguished legal scholar Joe Bankman. Much of that $10 million gift from was routed from FTX to Bankman-Fried's Morgan Stanley and TD Ameritrade accounts around January 2022, the lawsuit alleges. WATCH: Taylor Swift agreed to FTX partnership, but the crypto exchange bailed

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Joe Bankman, Fried's Morgan Stanley, FTX, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Taylor Swift Organizations: Alameda Research, Bankman, FTX, Alameda Locations: Delaware, Bankman, Alameda, FTX

☆ Taylor Swift agreed to FTX partnership, but the crypto exchange bailed, source tells CNBC
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former FTX Chief Executive Sam Bankman-Fried, right, exits the Manhattan federal court in New York City, Feb. 16, 2023. Taylor Swift signed and agreed to a sponsorship deal with bankrupt crypto exchange FTX after months of discussion before executives at FTX decided not to go through with the deal, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. But Swift did ultimately agree to the deal, the person familiar with the matter told CNBC. Three other sources familiar with the matter told The New York Times that Swift's team signed the deal with FTX after six months of negotiations, and that Bankman-Fried ultimately pulled the plug. The person familiar with the matter asked to be kept anonymous due to ongoing federal and bankruptcy proceedings.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Sam Bankman, Swift, Bankman, Fried, FTX, Gary Wang, Caroline Ellison, Nishad Singh — Organizations: FTX, CNBC, The New York Times, New York Times, The Financial Times Locations: Manhattan, New York City

Prosecutors have until May 29 to respond to Bankman-Fried's dismissal request, and Kaplan will hear arguments on June 15. EXTRADITIONBankman-Fried has acknowledged that FTX had inadequate risk management but denies stealing funds, and has sought to distance himself from FTX's day-to-day operations. In pleading guilty, Singh admitted to making political donations in his own name that were funded in part by transfers from Alameda. "The campaign finance allegations reveal, yet again, the consequences of the Government's rush to indict Mr. Bankman-Fried," his lawyers wrote. Bankman-Fried has largely been confined to his parents' home since his December arrest in the Bahamas, where he had lived and where FTX was based.

FTX imploded after a flurry of customer withdrawals in the wake of reports it had commingled assets with Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried's crypto-focused hedge fund. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate has pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of fraud and conspiracy. He has acknowledged that FTX had inadequate risk management but denies stealing funds, and has sought to distance himself from FTX's day-to-day operations. Three onetime close associates - former Alameda co-chief executive Caroline Ellison, former FTX technology chief Gary Wang, and former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh - have all pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Bankman-Fried has limited access to technology, after prosecutors warned he might tamper with witnesses.

New York CNN —Lawyers for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on Monday filed motions to dismiss the US government’s fraud charges against him. Bankman-Fried’s attorneys said the government failed to properly explain what offenses the former CEO of the bankrupt crypto exchange committed. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to the 13 charges. Prosecutors allege that Bankman-Fried stole FTX customer deposits to finance risky bets at his hedge fund, Alameda Research, and to funnel contributions to American politicians. Three of Bankman-Fried’s former business partners — Gary Wang, Caroline Ellison and Nishad Singh — have pleaded guilty to numerous charges and are cooperating with investigators.

☆ From threatening skeptical execs to approving expenses with emojis, here are the 6 most damning claims from FTX's first debtors report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sam Bankman-Fried threatened FTX employees who voiced concerns about its business practices. The report, which is 45 pages long, compiled interviews of 19 former FTX employees and "received substantial information through counsel" for five others. 1) SBF threatened FTX execsMultiple FTX execs were threatened after voicing concerns over the company's business practices. As a result, the report says: "Senior FTX Group personnel scrambled to cobble together purported policies that could be shown to auditors. One former executive described Singh's and Wang's oversight on FTX Group as: "If Nishad [and Gary] got hit by a bus, the whole company would be done."

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried reportedly joked about losing track of assets worth millions of dollars
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried joked about losing track of millions of dollars in assets, a debtors' report said. The document accused the individuals in charge of FTX and Alameda of misusing funds and lying. In an internal communication cited in the report, Bankman-Fried once said FTX's sister company Alameda Research was "hilariously beyond any threshold of any auditor being able to even get partially through an audit." According to the report, Alameda struggled to understand what its own positions were, "let alone hedging or accounting for them." This inner circle reportedly included Bankman-Fried, FTX cofounder Gary Wang, former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison, and FTX's former engineering director Nishad Singh.

☆ Failed crypto exchange FTX's spectacular collapse was due to 'hubris, incompetence, and greed,' says first debtors' report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On Sunday, its debtors released their first report on the collapse of the crypto exchange. The report alleged a lack of controls including in management, governance, and accounting. Read further for the three key allegations from the debtors' report. The report alleged the management and governance of FTX were largely limited to Bankman-Fried, Singh, and Wang. The report also alleged FTX failed to put in place "basic, widely accepted" security controls to safeguard its crypto assets.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried pleads not guilty to new federal charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Kara Scannell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of failed cryptocurrency trading platform FTX, pleaded not guilty to five new federal charges of fraud and conspiracy, including one count of conspiring to bribe Chinese government officials. An attorney for Bankman-Fried entered the plea on his behalf of his client, who was seated beside him in the New York courtroom Thursday. He previously pleaded not guilty to eight other charges stemming from what prosecutors have described as one of the biggest financial frauds in US history. In the latest indictment, prosecutors alleged that Bankman-Fried sought to pay off Chinese officials to unfreeze accounts belonging to his hedge fund, Alameda Research. Three of Bankman-Fried’s former business partners — Gary Wang, Caroline Ellison and Nishad Singh — have pleaded guilty to numerous charges and are cooperating with investigators.

☆ The FBI is struggling to analyze Sam Bankman-Fried's laptop because it has so much data on it, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Prosecutors said they're struggling to analyze a laptop for their case against Sam Bankman-Fried. Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to federal prosecutors' new criminal charges against him. In a hearing in Manhattan federal court Thursday morning, Assistant US Attorney Nicholas Roos said the FBI was struggling to extract data from a laptop they obtained from the FTX founder. Prosecutors have already produced around 6 million pages' worth of discovery material to Bankman-Fried's legal team, Roos said at the hearing. Federal judges look to sentencing guidelines articulated by a pre-sentence department, part of the US probation office that works for the federal court.

☆ FTX's Bankman-Fried to plead not guilty to campaign finance, China bribery charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | 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 30 (Reuters) - Indicted FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to plead not guilty on Thursday to new U.S. criminal charges, which include conspiring to violate campaign finance laws and bribe Chinese authorities. Bankman-Fried, 31, had earlier pleaded not guilty to eight counts of fraud and conspiracy for allegedly stealing billions in FTX customer funds to plug losses at his hedge fund, Alameda Research. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters he also plans to plead not guilty to the new 13-count indictment. Bankman-Fried is confined to his parents' Palo Alto, California, home on $250 million bond pending trial. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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.

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.

☆ Caroline Ellison made $6 million at Alameda – a fraction of Sam Bankman-Fried's $2.2 billion's haul
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Pete Syme | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Caroline Ellison received $6 million by Alameda, according to court documents filed Wednesday. Sam Bankman-Fried transferred himself $2.2 billion, while $587 million went to Nishad Singh. Alameda Research has been accused of using customer deposits from Bankman-Fried's crypto exchange FTX for daily operations, including risky investments. FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 11 after it imploded, wiping out billions in customer deposits. Court documents filed Wednesday show he transferred $2.5 million from Alameda to American Yacht Group in March 2022, with the cited reason "for the benefit of John Samuel Trabucco."

☆ FTX's former chief engineer hands over his $3.7 million vacation home to the US government as it's believed to be linked to his crimes, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

FTX's Nishad Singh forfeited a $3.7 million vacation home to the US government, Bloomberg reported. The SEC accused Singh of withdrawing $6 million from FTX for personal expenditure. Singh pleaded guilty to six criminal counts including wire fraud and conspiracy charges in February. The Securities and Exchange Commission separately accused Singh of creating a code that allowed Bankman-Fried to easily divert the funds to Alameda. They also accused him of taking $6 million from FTX for personal expenditure and making donations to charity.

☆ 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.

☆ How FTX’s Nishad Singh, Once an Honors Student, Fell Into Crypto Crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Alexander Osipovich | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nishad Singh followed Sam Bankman-Fried into the high-stakes world of cryptocurrency trading. Now he could help put the former FTX chief executive in prison. Mr. Singh, the 27-year-old former director of engineering at FTX, pleaded guilty this week to six criminal counts, including wire fraud. He agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation of FTX’s collapse.

☆ How FTX’s Nishad Singh, Once an Honors Student, Turned to Crypto Crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Alexander Osipovich | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A third member of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried ’s inner circle pleaded guilty to fraud charges and agreed to assist federal prosecutors, expanding the pool of cooperating witnesses against the former head of the failed crypto exchange. Nishad Singh , the company’s former director of engineering, pleaded guilty to six criminal counts, including conspiring to commit securities and commodities fraud, during a hearing Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan.

FTX co-founder and former director of engineering Nishad Singh pleaded guilty to fraud charges and agreed to cooperate against his former boss, Sam Bankman-Fried , making him the third person in the FTX founder’s orbit to do so. Mr. Singh, 27 years old, pleaded guilty to six criminal counts, including conspiring to commit securities and commodities fraud, during a hearing Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan.

☆ Nishad Singh is the latest member of Sam Bankman-Fried's inner circle to plead guilty in FTX case
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nishad Singh, who led engineering at FTX, has pleaded guilty to six criminal charges. Singh pleaded guilty to six counts, including wire fraud and various conspiracy charges, according to a filing on Tuesday in New York federal court. Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, and FTX cofounder Gary Wang both pleaded guilty in December and are also cooperating with federal prosecutors. Bankman-Fried, who was hit this month with an updated indictment outlining 12 counts against him, pleaded not guilty in January. Singh had been head of engineering at both FTX and Alameda, according to the SEC's complaint.

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