Sam Bankman-Freed’s bail restrictions extended after he contacted an FTX consultant

A federal judge on Thursday extended Sam Bankman-Fried’s ban from contacting his former business partner after a cryptocurrency scam accused was caught messaging with his former company’s general counsel in January.

At a federal hearing in Manhattan, Judge Lewis Kaplan banned Bankman-Fried from contacting current or former employees of the FTX crypto exchange and hedge fund Alameda until at least February 21.

The judge initially ordered Bankman-Freed’s communication to be restricted on Feb. 1 after prosecutors found he was sending messages to FTX’s general counsel — a potential witness in court — while he was on bail in a fraud case.

“I’d really like to reconnect and see if we have a way to establish a constructive relationship, use each other as resources whenever possible, or at least check in on each other,” Bankman-Fried wrote to an employee in an encrypted message. . January 12th.

Prosecutors wrote that the report “suggested an attempt to influence the potential testimony of Witness 1.”

Sam Bankman-Fried arrives at federal court in Manhattan on February 9, 2022.

Sam Bankman-Fried arrives at federal court in Manhattan on February 9, 2022.


A federal judge extended Bankman-Freed's ban on contact with a former business partner.

A federal judge extended Bankman-Freed’s ban on contact with a former business partner.


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Bankman-Fried was caught in January texting his former company's general counsel.

Bankman-Fried was caught in January texting his former company’s general counsel.


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In his order, Kaplan said that the message appeared to “be an attempt to get the accused and Witness-1 to sing from the same hymnal.”

The order also prohibits the accused fraudster from using “encrypted or ephemeral calls or messaging apps, including but not limited to Signal.”

Next week, federal prosecutors and Bankman-Fried’s attorneys will send letters to Kaplan explaining how they intend to keep a record of the accused shaggy-haired swindler’s digital communications.

Bankman-Fried leaves the court after the hearing.

Bankman-Fried leaves the court after the hearing.


The judge's ruling prohibits Bankman-Fried from using

The judge’s ruling prohibits Bankman-Fried from using “encrypted or ephemeral calling or messaging apps, including but not limited to Signal.”


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Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to federal charges.

Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to federal charges.


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Kaplan said the restrictions proposed by prosecutors and Bankman-Freed’s lawyers earlier this week still posed a “real risk of abuse” due to the sheer number of ways he could reach people involved in the case.

“There is still standard mail, email and all sorts of communication methods,” Kaplan said.

Bankman-Fried was arrested and charged in December by federal authorities who allege he defrauded FTX investors and clients by leaking funds to Alameda, a hedge fund he controlled.

He was also charged with campaign finance for allegedly funneling ill-gotten money into political donations.

Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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