Sam Bankman-Fried's legal team warns of 'harassment and threats' to parents in latest court filing

1 year ago

Two unidentified parties are readying to enactment arsenic sureties for Sam Bankman-Fried's bail, and his ineligible squad wants to guarantee they enactment that way.

Sam Bankman-Fried's ineligible  squad  warns of 'harassment and threats' to parents successful  latest tribunal  filing

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The ineligible squad down erstwhile FTX main enforcement serviceman Sam Bankman-Fried has petitioned a tribunal to redact definite accusation connected individuals acting arsenic sureties for his $250-million bond, citing threats made against his family.

In a missive dated Jan. 3 filed to Judge Lewis Kaplan for the United States District Court successful the Southern District of New York, Bankman-Fried’s ineligible squad requested the tribunal bid “names and different identifying information” of 2 bail sureties not beryllium disclosed to the public and redacted from bonds erstwhile they were signed connected Jan. 5. Mark Cohen of the instrumentality steadfast Cohen & Gresser said that if the individuals’ idiosyncratic accusation were to beryllium available, they could beryllium taxable to akin harassment arsenic the erstwhile FTX CEO’s parents, Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman.

“In caller weeks, Mr. Bankman-Fried’s parents person go the people of aggravated media scrutiny, harassment, and threats,” said Cohen. “Among different things, Mr. Bankman-Fried’s parents person received a dependable watercourse of threatening correspondence, including communications expressing a tendency that they endure carnal harm. Consequently, determination is superior origin for interest that the 2 further sureties would look akin intrusions connected their privateness arsenic good arsenic threats and harassment if their names look unredacted connected their bonds oregon their identities are different publically disclosed.”

Fried and Bankman secured their son’s release connected bail successful December with a $250-million bond, utilizing the equity of their Palo Alto location successful which Bankman-Fried is presently nether location arrest. Cohen cited ineligible precedent that the deficiency of nationalist disclosure astir others consenting to financially backmost SBF would “preserve higher values” and not hamper the court’s judicial power:

“If the 2 remaining sureties are publically identified, they volition apt beryllium subjected to probing media scrutiny, and perchance targeted for harassment, contempt having nary substantive transportation to the case. Consequently, the privateness and information of the sureties are 'countervailing factors' that importantly outweigh the presumption of nationalist entree to the precise constricted accusation astatine issue.”

Crypto Twitter users speculated arsenic to the identities of the unnamed sureties, tossing retired names including Kevin O'Leary and hedge money manager Bill Ackman. One suggested Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao whitethorn person helped Bankman-Fried — an improbable decision given the 2 crypto head's clashes connected societal media amid FTX's bankruptcy.

Bankman-Fried was extradited to the United States pursuing his apprehension successful the Bahamas successful December. He is expected to look successful tribunal successful idiosyncratic connected Jan. 3 to reportedly enter a not blameworthy plea for the transgression charges, which included ligament fraud, securities fraud, and violations of run concern laws.

Bankman-Fried acceptable to participate not blameworthy plea successful FTX fraud lawsuit https://t.co/Od33DFnwBz pic.twitter.com/gNFZiEpjGV

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 3, 2023

Related: Crypto Twitter confused by SBF’s $250M bail and a instrumentality to luxury

FTX co-founder Gary Wang and erstwhile Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison person already pled blameworthy to related charges and begun cooperating with authorities. Ellison besides offered a connection successful December acknowledging the fiscal ties betwixt FTX and Alameda astatine the halfway of prosecutors’ lawsuit against SBF.

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