Prosecutors ask federal judge to jail Sam Bankman-Fried over witness tampering
“What the defendant may not do, and what he has now done repeatedly, is seek to corruptly influence witnesses and interfere with a fair trial through attempted public harassment and shaming,” prosecutors wrote.
If granted, the order from U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan would return Bankman-Fried to jail, months after his extradition from the Bahamas and ahead of his expected October trial. Bankman-Fried, whose crypto company sank into bankruptcy last year, faces multiple fraud and money laundering charges over his role in the implosion of the multibillion-dollar exchange.
A federal prosecutor argued in court Wednesday that “no set of release conditions can ensure the safety of the community.”
Prosecutors and Bankman-Fried’s team met in federal court Wednesday after Bankman-Fried leaked the private diaries of his former girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, to a New York Times reporter. Bankman-Fried is barred under the terms of his bail from conventional smartphone access and has restricted internet access abilities.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Bankman-Fried’s only intent in sharing Ellison’s diary was to intimidate her.
Ellison, who was the top executive at Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund, has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges and is cooperating with the government’s prosecution of Bankman-Fried.
