NY - Samuel Bankman-Fried (FTX), Alleged Fraud, Money Laundering, 2019-2022 *Arrest*

[Cedars]

He's being led into court from jail, so there's no photos of his current appearance.

She may have been avoiding any media coverage about him, and has never seen him clean-shaven, with a haircut and suit, pasty-faced and he's probably lost weight.

JMO this is a serious matter, why assume she would be playing a game?

 

[ch_13]

View attachment 452608

He's being led into court from jail, so there's no photos of his current appearance.

She may have been avoiding any media coverage about him, and has never seen him clean-shaven, with a haircut and suit, pasty-faced and he's probably lost weight.

JMO this is a serious matter, why assume she be would she playing a game?

According to the article he did get a haircut, so maybe she did have trouble recognizing him for a second.

But still, he would be with with his lawyers at the defense table, right? I can't believe she didn't know the general vicinity where he would be sitting. Anyone who's ever watched a courtroom drama on tv knows where the defendant sits. So what's all this about searching all around the room and looking in the jury box, etc? Thirty seconds is a ridiculously long amount of time to locate him considering they were boyfriend and girlfriend and knew each other for years.

 

[Chelly]

SBF got a “by the book “ crew cut by a prison mate I have been told moo.

 

[arielilane]

Sam Bankman-Fried’s luxury penthouse is at the center of the prosecution’s criminal fraud case against the FTX founder — take a look inside the $35 million Bahamas abode that is a far cry from the Manhattan court room where he now spends much of his time

https://twitter.com/x/status/1711917087558406190

• A big part of Sam Bankman-Fried's journey to criminal court traces back to the $35 million Bahamian property he shared with nine people.
• The 11,500-square foot apartment overlooks the marina and the Atlantic Ocean.
• A Signal thread labeled "People of the House" was provided by a key witness in the trial.

Sam Bankman-Fried has traded a luxury penthouse in the Bahamas for a decidedly different top-floor setting: a criminal courtroom in downtown Manhattan.

Inside Sam Bankman-Fried's $35 million crypto frat house in the Bahamas

Sam Bankman-Fried’s luxury penthouse is at the center of the prosecution’s criminal fraud case against the FTX founder

www.nbcnewyork.com

Updated on October 10, 2023 at 8:08 am​

 

[arielilane]

Sam Bankman-Fried trial: ex-girlfriend says he directed her to commit crimes

Caroline Ellison, who dated Bankman-Fried for years, tells court that he gave the orders to commit $10bn in fraud

www.theguardian.com

On the fifth day of Sam Bankman-Fried’s fraud trial, the prosecution’s star witness named the FTX founder as the ringleader of an alleged $10bn fraud scheme at the cryptocurrency exchange and its associated hedge fund.

“While you were working at Alameda, did you commit any crimes?” a prosecutor asked Caroline Ellison.


“Yes, we did,” she said. “[Bankman-Fried] directed me to commit these crimes.”

 

[Countem]

Caroline Ellison, Adviser to Sam Bankman-Fried, Says He ‘Directed’ Her to Commit Crimes (Published 2023)

Ms. Ellison is the government’s star witness in the criminal fraud trial of the founder of the FTX crypto exchange. She also delved into her romantic relationship with Mr. Bankman-Fried.

www.nytimes.com

This article says that it took CE more than 10 seconds to point out SBF rather than 30 seconds…

 

[Countem]

Key takeaways from CE’s testimony so far:

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/11/1205045583/sam-bankman-fried-trial-caroline-ellison-ftx-alameda-research

Caroline Ellison, star witness in Bankman-Fried trial, recounts living in 'a constant state of dread'

The trial of former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried continues, with ex-girlfriend and colleague Caroline Ellison testifying for the prosecution.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[ch_13]

Caroline Ellison, Adviser to Sam Bankman-Fried, Says He ‘Directed’ Her to Commit Crimes (Published 2023)

Ms. Ellison is the government’s star witness in the criminal fraud trial of the founder of the FTX crypto exchange. She also delved into her romantic relationship with Mr. Bankman-Fried.

www.nytimes.com

This article says that it took CE more than 10 seconds to point out SBF rather than 30 seconds…

And today's article that you posted says it took almost a minute:
When the prosecution asked Ellison if she could identify Sam Bankman-Fried for the jury, Ellison stood and squinted, and scanned the room. It took almost a minute for her to locate him.



What I'm taking from this is that lots of people are terrible at estimating time intervals.

I had originally wondered if she was playing some kind of game but after having read a few different accounts now, it seems like she genuinely had trouble picking him out. Maybe her nerves were getting the best of her.

 

[Cedars]

Key takeaways from CE’s testimony so far:

1. Don't let unsupervised twenty-somethings play with other people's billions.

Did anyone ever check the org charts? Was there no board of directors, experienced director of finance, internal auditor? Just Peter Pan, Wendy, and the Lost Boys?

 

[Gemmie]

1. Don't let unsupervised twenty-somethings play with other people's billions.

Did anyone ever check the org charts? Was there no board of directors, experienced director of finance, internal auditor? Just Peter Pan, Wendy, and the Lost Boys?

You left out Captain Hook.

 

[Lilibet]

You left out Captain Hook.

And Tinkerbell.

 

[meanmaryjean]

And today's article that you posted says it took almost a minute:
When the prosecution asked Ellison if she could identify Sam Bankman-Fried for the jury, Ellison stood and squinted, and scanned the room. It took almost a minute for her to locate him.



What I'm taking from this is that lots of people are terrible at estimating time intervals.

I had originally wondered if she was playing some kind of game but after having read a few different accounts now, it seems like she genuinely had trouble picking him out. Maybe her nerves were getting the best of her.

A couple of things-

• She wears glasses, perhaps they are for distance only and she wasn't wearing them in court
• It's been over a year since she laid eyes on him
• MAYBE (like me) she is totally or partially face-blind

 

[Cedars]

You left out Captain Hook.

I think the prosecution/establishment is Captain Hook.

This mysterious person is the crocodile:

FTX thief cashes out millions during Bankman-Fried trial

Chunks of the stolen $470m in cryptocurrency have been laundered every day since the trial began.

www.bbc.com

JMO

 

[Cedars]

And Tinkerbell.

She'll be brought in as a witness for the defense. Perhaps an expert witness will appear and clap their hands.

 

[ch_13]

At least according to The Verge, today's cross-examination of Caroline Ellison did not go well for the defense.

How is it still getting worse for Sam Bankman-Fried?

His parents seem worried

www.theverge.com

And regarding the discussion we had earlier about Sam's father's involvement in FTX, there's this tidbit in an article about yesterday's testimony.

Another seeming revelation was not highlighted by prosecutors: evidence that seemed to even more deeply implicate Joseph Bankman, Sam’s father. Towards the end of her testimony, Ellison was guided to comment on screenshots of a group chat called “small group chat.” In that chat, on around November 8 as everything unraveled, FTX senior management explicitly discussed whether, and in what ways, to lie about how much money FTX actually had to cover withdrawals.

Attendees who looked closely could see the recipients of those messages: Sam Bankman-Fried, Caroline Ellison, Nishad Singh, Ramnik Arora, Gary Wang — and Joseph Bankman.

 

[Countem]

I think the prosecution/establishment is Captain Hook.

This mysterious person is the crocodile:

FTX thief cashes out millions during Bankman-Fried trial

Chunks of the stolen $470m in cryptocurrency have been laundered every day since the trial began.

www.bbc.com

JMO

I really wish we knew who was processing those hacked funds.

At least according to The Verge, today's cross-examination of Caroline Ellison did not go well for the defense.

How is it still getting worse for Sam Bankman-Fried?

His parents seem worried

www.theverge.com

RSBM. That seems to be the consensus across many articles. I am surprised that the cross examination appeared to be so disjointed. Perhaps it is a tactic?

 

[arielilane]

I could never imagine being his "girlfriend" first and foremost the fraud would have stood out, but he's ashamed of dating you so tells no one about you, he's distant and there is so much more... He's no prize himself. moo

 

[scapa]

SBF accused of "scoffing," possible witness intimidation. Defence counsel strongly dispute claims:

Sam Bankman-Fried accused of scoffing and laughing as ex-girlfriend testified

Judge asks Bankman-Fried’s lawyer to ‘have a word with him’ after prosecutors complain of possible intimidation

www.theguardian.com

 

[acutename]

According to the article he did get a haircut, so maybe she did have trouble recognizing him for a second.

But still, he would be with with his lawyers at the defense table, right? I can't believe she didn't know the general vicinity where he would be sitting. Anyone who's ever watched a courtroom drama on tv knows where the defendant sits. So what's all this about searching all around the room and looking in the jury box, etc? Thirty seconds is a ridiculously long amount of time to locate him considering they were boyfriend and girlfriend and knew each other for years.

"The appearance of Bankman-Fried, who sat with his lawyers, has changed dramatically recently as he has lost weight and trimmed his well-known wild coif into a tightly cropped look more traditional among financial professionals."

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s former hedge fund chief (and ex-girlfriend) Caroline Ellison says he hoped to be U.S. president someday

Repeatedly, Ellison made clear that Bankman-Fried was behind the biggest financial moves in his companies, to the point that bitcoins he created were sometimes called “Sam's coins.”

fortune.com

he looks like a different person IMO

 

[acutename]

I could never imagine being his "girlfriend" first and foremost the fraud would have stood out, but he's ashamed of dating you so tells no one about you, he's distant and there is so much more... He's no prize himself. moo

he was her boss ... so if they were having any semblance of ethical management, they would not be having a relationship because there would be conflicts but when I read about these people it is incredible how much $$$ they had to deal with and they have no apparent controls or business practices, IMO Curious to hear the defense. Also curious why CE did not resign and go back to a "real company," but 20 million $ is a nice compensation at 31, I guess, IMO.