Prosecutors investigating former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) have reportedly contacted senior Democratic Party officials to request information on the businessman’s political donations.
Democratic members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries were contacted by Bankman-Fried prosecutors for information to help their ongoing investigations, according to a New York Times note. York Times.
The Attorney General’s Office for the Southern District of New York sent an email to the election attorney for the Democratic Party, Mark Elias, asking for details on donations made by Bankman-Fried. Similar emails were sent to other members of the Democratic and Republican parties.
The Royal Bahamas Police detained SBF on December 12 at the request of the US government, just one day before the defendant was due to testify before Congress. The businessman was accused of eight counts of financial and electoral fraud, regarding the alleged diversion of USD 1.8 billion in client funds.
Ongoing research on Bankman-Fried’s political donations garnered attention for being the second-largest individual donor to Democrats, which disbursed USD 39.8 million.
On December 17, three prominent Democratic groups – the DNC, the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, and the DCCC – reportedly decided to return donations linked to FTX’s former CEP to FTX investors, which together exceed one million dollars.
As Cointelegraph previously reported, a DNC spokesperson confirmed the decision:
“Given the allegations surrounding possible campaign finance violations by Bankman-Fried, we are setting aside funds in order to return the $815,000 in contributions since 2020. We will return as soon as we receive proper direction in legal proceedings.” .
The other two committees, DSCC and DCCC, have also reportedly committed to setting aside $103,000 and $250,000 for reimbursement, respectively.
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