Sam Bankman-Fried to appear in court Monday to drop extradition fight
By Kara Scannell, CNN
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to appear in a Bahamas court on Monday to reverse his decision to contest extradition to the US, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.
Bankman-Fried is expected to agree to extradition to the US, the person said. Reuters first reported thank Bankman-Fried would withdraw his extradition fight Monday.
It remains unclear what time Bankman-Fried will appear in court. If he waives his extradition, he would likely return to the United States quickly. Once in the states, he will appear before a US judge for an arraignment and bail hearing.
CNN has reached out to Bankman-Fried’s lawyers, and the Bahamas Attorney General.
‘House of cards’
Last Tuesday, federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York charged Bankman-Fried with eight counts of fraud and conspiracy. Bankman-Fried could face up to 115 years in prison if convicted on all eight counts against him, though he likely wouldn’t get the maximum sentence.
On top of that, US market regulators filed civil lawsuits accusing Bankman-Fried of defrauding investors and customers, saying he “built a house of cards on a foundation of deception while telling investors that it was one of the safest buildings in crypto.”
Bankman-Fried remains in the Bahamas, where FTX was based, and was arrested last Monday night. He was arraigned Tuesday, and a Bahamian judge denied his request for bail, saying that he posed a flight risk. His extradition to the United States could take weeks.
Prosecutors allege Bankman-Fried conspired with others on numerous schemes, including misusing customer deposits held in FTX that were used to cover the expenses of Alameda, Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund..
Bankman-Fried also allegedly defrauded lenders to Alameda by providing them misleading information about the hedge fund’s financial condition.
The 14-page indictment also alleges that Bankman-Fried conspired with others to violate federal election laws by making political donations to candidates and fundraising committees between 2020 and November 2022, in excess of federal legal limits and in the names of other people.
— Allison Morrow contributed to this report.
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