US Prosecutors Request Sam Bankman-Fried’s Arrest
Prosecutors have requested that former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried be placed in custody until his court hearing scheduled for October, as reported by Reuters.
According to Daniel Sassoon, a prosecutor in the case, Bankman-Fried being free “cannot ensure the safety of society.”
This request was made due to the founder of the now-defunct crypto exchange providing New York Times reporters with personal notes from the ex-CEO of Alameda Research, Caroline Ellison; an action, which Sassoon believes to be a means of discrediting a witness in the case.
At the July 26 meeting, prosecutors dropped the charge of Bankman-Fried financing some politicians, as reported by The Block.
Judge Lewis Kaplan has forbid all those in the proceedings from discussing it with the press and Bankman-Fried’s attorney noted his client had agreed to the requirement but that it should also extend to those associated with the prosecution.
A decision as to the preliminary detention of the accused will be made on August 3. Bankman-Fried was initially charged with 13 criminal offenses in December 2022, when he was arrested in the Bahamas and extradited to the U.S., where he was released on a $250 million bail.
