Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who is currently facing multiple charges related to securities and wire fraud, reportedly said he wanted to hear the official indictment against him before accepting his extradition to the United States.
Appearing at a last-minute Bahamas Magistrates Court hearing on December 19 for the first time since being denied bail, Bankman-Fried said, according to news reports, that he was willing not to fight the necessary process. for his extradition to the United States, but that he wanted to see all the charges against him. He spent the last week at Fox Hill Prison in the Bahamas, a facility where physical mistreatment of prisoners and “harsh” conditions had already been reported.
Some members of the crypto space, including the team behind YouTuber Ben Armstrong, aka Bitboy Crypto, reported via Twitter that they showed up in person at the hearing to “look Bankman-Fried in the eye.”
We ready. About to go in. Guess who is in front of the line? Finally getting to look @SBF_FTX in the eyes this morning. pic.twitter.com/TtdYXZiUnD
—Ben Armstrong (@Bitboy_Crypto) December 19, 2022
In the United States, Bankman-Fried faces charges from the Justice Department, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission related to defrauding investors and lenders. Under his direction, FTX and other associated individuals also made millions in donations to political candidates, allegedly violating campaign finance laws.
It is unclear why the former FTX CEO is not opposed to extradition: if he is found guilty on all counts, current reports suggest he could face up to 115 years in prison. Following the hearing, he was returned to the Bahamas Department of Corrections, where he was expected to remain until February 8, 2023.
Bahamian authorities detained Bankman-Fried on December 12, just hours after he conducted a series of online interviews as part of the former executive’s apology tour in connection with the FTX collapse. Authorities reported that Bankman-Fried had initially been sent to the hospital wing of the prison, presumably to be given medication, which included Adderall and antidepressants.
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