FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Is Arrested in the Bahamas (Published 2022) (2024)

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A statement by the government of the Bahamas said Mr. Bankman-Fried was arrested after prosecutors in the United States filed criminal charges.

FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Is Arrested in the Bahamas (Published 2022) (1)

Follow our live coverage of the arrest of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was arrested in the Bahamas on Monday after U.S. prosecutors filed criminal charges.

“S.B.F.’s arrest followed receipt of formal notification from the United States that it has filed criminal charges against S.B.F. and is likely to request his extradition,” the government of the Bahamas said in a statement.

The arrest was the latest stunning development in one of the most dramatic falls from grace in recent corporate history. Mr. Bankman-Fried, 30, was scheduled to testify in Congress on Tuesday about the collapse of FTX, which was one of the most powerful firms in the emerging crypto industry until it imploded virtually overnight last month after a run on deposits exposed an $8 billion hole in its accounts.

Prosecutors for the Southern District of New York confirmed that Mr. Bankman-Fried had been charged and said an indictment would be unsealed on Tuesday. Separately, the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement that it had authorized charges “relating to Mr. Bankman-Fried’s violations of our securities laws.”

The criminal charges against Mr. Bankman-Fried included wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and money laundering, said a person with knowledge of the matter.

Mr. Bankman-Fried, who was the only person charged in the indictment, was taken into custody by the Bahamian authorities, the person said. He was arrested shortly after 6 p.m. at his apartment complex in the Albany resort in the Bahamas, according to a statement from the Bahamian police. The timing of when Mr. Bankman-Fried might be moved to the United States was unclear. While the Bahamas has an extradition treaty with the United States, the process can take weeks, and sometimes far longer if a criminal defendant contests it.

Mr. Bankman-Fried was cooperative during the arrest, according to a person familiar with the matter, and will be held overnight in a cell at a police station. He is scheduled to appear on Tuesday in Magistrate Court in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.

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FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Is Arrested in the Bahamas (Published 2022) (2024)

FAQs

FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Is Arrested in the Bahamas (Published 2022)? ›

Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was arrested in the Bahamas on Monday after U.S. prosecutors filed criminal charges. “S.B.F.'s arrest followed receipt of formal notification from the United States that it has filed criminal charges against S.B.F.

Where was Sam Bankman arrested? ›

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of failed crypto exchange FTX, was arrested in the Bahamas on Monday after US prosecutors filed criminal charges against him, according to a statement from the government of the Bahamas.

Why did FTX pick the Bahamas? ›

Caroline Ellison, the CEO of FTX's sister company Alameda Research, wrote on an Effective Altruism forum in October 2021 that the company's move to The Bahamas was “due primarily to the friendly regulatory environment” and a government that was “cutting back on red tape.” Adding to the appeal was the fact that Bahamian ...

Does Sam Bankman-Fried live in the Bahamas? ›

“Yet, even as sophisticated law professors, Bankman and Fried chose to live in a multi-million dollar home in The Bahamas funded by the fly-by-night corporate organization with which they were so familiar.” It's unclear when Blue Water might hit the market.

What happened on November 8, 2022 in the FTX offices? ›

NOV. 8, 2022

After FTX sees $6 billion in customer withdrawals in three days, Binance boss Changpeng Zhao says the company has signed a nonbinding agreement to buy FTX's non-U.S. unit. Binance scraps the deal the next day.

What is the Bahamas crypto currency? ›

Sand Dollar is a central bank digital currency (CBDC), this means it is a centralised, regulated, stable, private and secure unit of account and means of exchange.

How much money did FTX steal? ›

Kaplan found that FTX customers lost $8 billion, FTX's equity investors lost $1.7 billion, and that lenders to the Alameda Research hedge fund Bankman-Fried founded lost $1.3 billion. He imposed an $11 billion forfeiture order and authorized the government to repay victims with seized assets.

How did FTX lose all its money? ›

FTX was a leading cryptocurrency exchange that went bankrupt in November 2022, amid allegations that its owners had embezzled and misused customer funds. Sam Bankman-Fried, the CEO of the exchange, was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to repay $11 billion.

What was stolen from FTX? ›

When more than $400 million worth of crypto was mysteriously pulled out of the coffers of what was once the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, on the very day that it declared bankruptcy in November of 2022, many initially suspected insiders at the company—including, potentially, then CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, ...

Where did FTX get its money? ›

FTX said that it was able to recover funds by monetizing a collection of assets that mostly consisted of proprietary investments held by the Alameda or FTX Ventures businesses, or litigation claims.

Who owns the most land in the Bahamas? ›

Fifty five percent of usable Bahamas real estate is owned by the government with all other property vested in private ownership or tagged as wet' Crown land.

Where does Sam Bankman live in the Bahamas? ›

Bankman-Fried and his staff set up in Albany, a private, gated community on the west side of New Providence island, at the opposite end from Nassau.

What does FTX stand for? ›

FTX is an abbreviation of "Futures Exchange".

Who lost money in FTX? ›

Billions were lost when the cryptocurrency exchange headed by convicted fraudster Sam Bankman Fried went bust in November 2022, with an estimated one million customers losing funds. But now the company has recouped more than enough to repay those customers and its creditors, it said.

How much funds did FTX lose? ›

Those who lost money when the exchange collapsed in November 2022 are owed around $11 billion, but the estate been able to recover as much as $16.3 billion, court records filed on Tuesday show. As a result, claims will be repaid with interest.

What caused FTX to fall? ›

FTX crashed due to mismanagement of funds, lack of liquidity and the large volume of withdrawals. Binance announced it would buy FTX to prevent a larger market crash, but quickly bailed out of the deal as more news reports of mishandled customer funds surfaced.

Where did Sam Bankman go? ›

Bankman-Fried went on trial in October 2023, charged with seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. The following month he was convicted on all charges. In March 2024 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to surrender more than $11 billion in assets.

Did Sam go to jail for 90 day fiance? ›

Summary. Sam Wilson from 90 Day Fiancé faced potential jail time for drug charges but was admitted to a diversion program. His addiction history and missed deadline for the program created tension in his relationship with Citra.

Where were the FTX offices? ›

FTX employees worked out of a set of small offices nestled among palm trees in the Bahamas. Within days of the company's collapse, employees headed for the airport, leaving the once-bustling offices empty. Mr. Bankman-Fried had planned to build a huge new headquarters for FTX in the Bahamas.

Where was FTX headquarters? ›

At its peak in July 2021, the company had over one million users and was the third-largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume. FTX is incorporated in Antigua and Barbuda and headquartered in the Bahamas.

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