Bankman-Fried Accused Of Influencing Witnesses Via The Secure Messaging Service

Key Points:

• Federal prosecutors wrote to Judge Lewis Kaplan requesting that Sam Bankman-Fried be prohibited from using Signal and other encrypted communications services due to concerns about potential witness tampering.
• Ryne Miller, general counsel for FTX US, was approached by Bankman-Fried, according to the prosecution, and this may have been an effort to tamper with a witness.

On Friday, federal prosecutors sent a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan asking him to change Sam Bankman-Fried‘s bail terms to include a prohibition on private conversations with current and former FTX and Alameda Research personnel.

According to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) prosecutors, Bankman-Fried contacted the current General Counsel of FTX US, who may be a witness at trial. Ryne Miller, a current counsel for FTX US and a former partner at Kirkland & Ellis, was not mentioned by name in the federal complaint.

The arrested co-founder of FTX is being prohibited by federal prosecutors from using encrypted messaging software due to actions that might “constitute witness tampering,” according to the letter submitted to a federal court in Manhattan on Friday.

The government asserts that Bankman-Fried spoke with Miller via the secure messaging service Signal on January 15, just days after crypto exchange bankruptcy officials announced the seizure of more than $5 billion in FTX assets. The DOJ’s letter quotes Bankman-Fried as saying to Miller:

“I would really love to reconnect and see if there’s a way for us to have a constructive relationship, use each other as resources when possible, or at least vet things with each other.”

Additionally, the prosecution asked that Bankman-Fried not make use of any encrypted or ephemeral call or messaging program, including but not limited to Signal, according to Judge Kaplan.

The complaint shows Bankman-Fried has also spoken with other current and former FTX personnel. According to federal prosecutors, Bankman-Fried’s request indicates an attempt to sway the witness’ testimony, and his efforts to strengthen his bond with Miller “may themselves constitute witness tampering.”

According to the prosecution, Bankman-statement Fried’s was a thinly veiled attempt to sway Miller’s future testimony. This is especially troubling because Miller had firsthand knowledge of the former FTX CEO’s actions close to the time of FTX’s collapse.

If the prosecutors’ assertion is accurate, it will contradict Bankman-Fried’s repeated claims on social media and in other places that FTX US remained financially stable as the rest of his company crumbled.

Coincu will continue to update the situation related to Sam Bankman-Fried, you can find out more information through this article.

DISCLAIMER: The Information on this website is provided as general market commentary and does not constitute investment advice. We encourage you to do your own research before investing.

Join us to keep track of news: https://linktr.ee/coincu

Harold

Coincu News