Sam Bankman-Fried

Sam Bankman-Fried, once a pivotal figure in the cryptocurrency industry, was convicted in November 2023 of committing fraud and conspiracy for stealing billions of dollars of money belonging to customers of his FTX crypto exchange, funneling the money to Alameda Research, his hedge fund. FTX had been one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges before its demise, a major player in derivatives trading including perpetual futures. The company's undoing was spurred by a CoinDesk scoop in November 2022 showing Alameda's balance sheet was mysteriously full of the FTT token issued by FTX – calling into question both Alameda and FTX's financial stability. The Bahamas-based company filed for bankruptcy nine days after the story. Before his downfall, SBF (as the former billionaire is commonly known as) had been a leading figure in crypto, pushing for regulation of the industry in the U.S. He was a major political donor and the public face of effective altruism, a movement geared toward maximizing the amount of good done by philanthropy. SBF was arrested in December 2022, and his bail was revoked due to alleged witness tampering. His trial began in October 2023, and he was convicted on Nov. 2, 2023, a year to the day after the CoinDesk story that caused his crypto empire to crumble.

Vidéos

The US Government 'Doesn't Need' Sam Bankman-Fried's Cooperation: Lawyer

With former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison and former FTX co-founder Gary Wang taking plea deals from federal investigators, Bragança Law Attorney Lisa Bragança says "the government doesn't need Sam Bankman-Fried's cooperation right now." The former SEC Enforcement Branch Chief also weighs in on the legal developments of the FTX case, predicting the prosecutor's next move is to prove Bankman-Fried's intent for fraud.

23 déc. 2022

Vidéos

Why FTX Investors’ Loss Is Wall Street Lawyers’ Gain

Attorneys are charging upwards of $2,000 an hour and $12 million retainers as they attempt to restore funds to the million-odd creditors of crypto exchange FTX. CoinDesk Regulatory Reporter Jack Schickler shares his insights and why law firms may be one of a few winners in the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s failed empire.

23 déc. 2022

Analyses