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Sam Bankman-Fried
Sam Bankman-Fried, once a pivotal figure in the cryptocurrency industry, was convicted in November 2023 of committing fraud and conspiracy for stealing billions of dollars of money belonging to customers of his FTX crypto exchange, funneling the money to Alameda Research, his hedge fund. FTX had been one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges before its demise, a major player in derivatives trading including perpetual futures. The company's undoing was spurred by a CoinDesk scoop in November 2022 showing Alameda's balance sheet was mysteriously full of the FTT token issued by FTX – calling into question both Alameda and FTX's financial stability. The Bahamas-based company filed for bankruptcy nine days after the story. Before his downfall, SBF (as the former billionaire is commonly known as) had been a leading figure in crypto, pushing for regulation of the industry in the U.S. He was a major political donor and the public face of effective altruism, a movement geared toward maximizing the amount of good done by philanthropy. SBF was arrested in December 2022, and his bail was revoked due to alleged witness tampering. His trial began in October 2023, and he was convicted on Nov. 2, 2023, a year to the day after the CoinDesk story that caused his crypto empire to crumble.
Sam Bankman-Fried Deserves a Life After Prison
He did incalculable harm, but arguing for a sentence longer than 25 years is unfair to the man and the industry he once represented.
Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison
The former FTX CEO was convicted of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy in November, a year after the once-giant cryptocurrency exchange collapsed.
How Many Years in Jail Will Sam Bankman-Fried Get? Nigeria Charged Binance With Tax Evasion
"CoinDesk Daily" host Jennifer Sanasie breaks down the biggest headlines impacting the crypto industry today, including a Coinbase research report that looked at bitcoin ETFs' first week of net outflows in two months. Plus, Nigerian authorities charged Binance with tax evasion and traders bet on how many years Sam Bankman-Fried will be sentenced to.
How Many Years Will SBF Get? Jury's Out on Betting Platform Polymarket
Plus: Tesla's delivery numbers will fall short of record, Kalshi traders signal; "Ghostbusters" fandom underestimated.
U.S. Government's Legal Precedents Don't Support Lengthy Prison Term, Bankman-Fried's Defense Argues
Bankman-Fried was found guilty of fraud last year and will be sentenced on March 28.
BlackRock Joins Asset Tokenization Race; North Korea Hackers Stole $3B in Crypto Since 2017
"CoinDesk Daily" host Jennifer Sanasie breaks down the biggest headlines impacting the crypto industry today, as BlackRock enters the tokenization race with a new fund on the Ethereum network. Plus, FTX CEO John J. Ray III pushes back against Sam Bankman-Fried’s claims that customers lost “zero” money in the exchange’s collapse. And, a UN Security Council study reveals that North Korea-linked crypto hackers stole $3 billion since 2017.
FTX Was Down to Last 105 Bitcoins When Bankruptcy Rescue Crew Arrived: John Ray
Ray said Bankman-Fried’s victims “will never be returned to the same economic position they would have been in today absent his colossal fraud.”
