After crypto fraud, extradited FTX’s co-founder is released on $250 MILLION bond with restrictive terms – Sam Bankman-Fried and his ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison, had taken plea deal on federal charges on Wednesday
Arraigned in New York on Friday, Sam Bankman-Fried was released on $250 million bond with restrictive terms
Bankman-Fried was in FBI custody after being extradited from the Bahamas and has copped to fraud in a plea deal
On his way from Bahamas, the disgraced crypto king and his ex-girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, 28, both pled guilty to federal charges in exchange for lenient sentences
Sam Bankman-Fried ‘s FTX co-founder, as well as his ex-girlfriend, both pled guilty to fraud charges, entering the pleas in the Southern District of New York
Bankman-Fried, 30, has been charged with two counts of wire fraud and six counts of conspiracy related to securities and commodities fraud, money laundering and violating the campaign finance laws
The charges include allegations that he conned investors out of $1.8billion by diverting cash to his private crypto hedge fund Alameda Research
Another FTX executive, Gary Wang, also entered a guilty plea in exchange for a lighter sentence
Wang and Ellison have been charged ‘in connection with their roles and the frauds that contributed to the tanking of FTX,’ including wire fraud, securities fraud, and commodities fraud
US Authorities announced the charges Wednesday, revealing the two executives as FTX’s Gary Wang and Alameda Research co-CEO Caroline Ellison

FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried has been released on $250 Million Bond with restrictive terms. The disgraced cryptocurrency executive appeared in court in Manhattan after his extradition from the Bahamas last night. He was granted bail and will live with his parents in California.
Bankman-Fried, as well as his ex-girlfriend, Caroline Ellison of of Alameda Research, both pled guilty to federal fraud charges as part of deal for leniency.
Another FTX employee, Gary Wang, also entered a guilty plea in exchange for a lighter sentence at the Southern District of New York Court on Wednesday.
Bankman-Fried, 30, has been charged with two counts of wire fraud and six counts of conspiracy related to securities and commodities fraud, money laundering and violating the campaign finance laws.
Feds allege that he conned investors out of $1.8billion by diverting cash to his private crypto hedge fund Alameda Research, run by his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison.
Those charges each carry a maximum prison term of 20 years,.


The embattled cryptocurrency executive, was granted release from custody on Thursday by a federal judge sitting in New York.
The judge imposed highly restrictive bail conditions including a $250 million bond and a requirement that he remain in home detention with his parents in California.
Bankman-Fried made his court appearance while inn FBI custody after being extradited from the Bahamas on Wednesday night.
Bankman-Fried, 30, arrived in the United States following his extradition from the Bahamas, where he was arrested at a luxury apartment complex on Dec. 12 and held in a local jail.
Under the bail arrangement, Mr. Bankman-Fried will live with his parents in Palo Alto, California, under strict electronic monitoring, including a bracelet that will be placed on him before he leaves the courthouse.
The $250 million personal recognizance bond — a written promise to appear in court as needed — will be secured by his parents’ interest in their home, the judge said. He was also required to surrender his passport and to receive mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Any expenses above $1,000 would require prior approval by the government.

On Wednesday U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Wang and Ellison have been charged ‘in connection with their roles and the frauds that contributed to the tanking of FTX,’ including wire fraud, securities fraud, and commodities fraud.
Williams added that after entering their pleas, both Wang and Ellison were co-operating with New York officials in their case against the FTX founder.
The official warned other FTX fraudsters to come forward, or face the full wrath of the federal government.
Bankman-Fried, meanwhile, is set to be in SDNY court imminently, after being arrested by FBI officials while in the Bahamas.
He has been charged with orchestrating a multiyear fraud that diverted billions in customer money for personal uses, including buying millions of dollars of real estate on the Caribbean Islands.
Prosecutors contend he defrauded customers, investors and lenders involved with his now defunct crypto firm, which was once one of the biggest in the world before its sudden fall last month.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a separate statement said it has also charged Ellison and Wang for their roles in a multi-year scheme to defraud equity investors of FTX.

Williams confirmed the pleas and the transfer of Bankman-Fried to New York was in connection with a ‘sweeping fraud scheme that contributed to FTX’s collapse and for a campaign finance scheme that sought to influence public policy in Washington.’
Williams went on to reiterate the federal court’s investigation into the alleged fraudulent activity carried out by brass at Bankman-Fried’s companies is ongoing.
Wednesday’s charges, announced in a pair of simultaneous SEC complaints against the two executives, are far from the last.
‘If you were participating in misconduct, now is the time to get ahead of it,’ Williams said, warning other prospective fraudsters to come forward or face more intense charges later.
‘We are moving quickly, and our patience is not eternal.’

Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein, warned Bankman-Fried, whose personal $16billion fortune vanished in the exchange’s $32billion implosion, that if he failed to appear in court or violated any of the other conditions, a warrant would be issued for his arrest and he and his parents would be responsible for paying the hefty bond.
The defendant only spoke to acknowledge that understood, the admonishment of the judge with “Yes, I do,” during the hearing, which lasted less than an hour.
Discussions about a bail deal had begun even before Bankman-Fried was extradited. In court on Thursday, the deal was formally proposed by the U.S. prosecutors in the Southern District of New York who brought the charges against Bankman-Fried.
Bankman-Fried was escorted into court wearing a dark suit and was seated between his two lawyers, Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell.
Cohen argued that Bankman-Fried was not a flight risk. “My client voluntarily consented to come to face these charges here in New York,” he told the judge. “He wants to address them.”

Commenting on the hearing, Assistant Attorney with the US Southern District of New York, Nicolas Roos, said the defendant had committed crimes of “epic proportions” as the case involved multiple cooperating witnesses, as well as encrypted text messages and tens of thousands of pages of financial records, however noting that Bankman-Fried had “family and communities ties” and that his wealth had “diminished significantly.”
“It would be very difficult for this defendant to hide without being recognized,” Judge Gorenstein said. “So I believe that the risk of flight is appropriately mitigated.”
Bankman-Fried initially indicated that he would contest extradition, but it was reported over the weekend that he has since reversed that stance after spending several days in the notorious His Majesty’s Prison Fox Hill.
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