Sam Bankman-Fried might well have participated in evidence interference by delivering an encrypted communication to a possible witness.
This was said according to the federal authorities, who have persuaded Lewis Kaplan, a U.S. Judge, to amend the terms of the bond arrangement.
Bankman-Fried attempted to contact and use the secure communications service Signal to communicate with the General Counsel of FTX US.
Bankman-Fried Restrained From Contacting FTX and Alameda
Bankman-Fried allegedly said that he would like to reconcile and learn if there is a way to establish a positive connection.
He also said that he wants to use one another when feasible, or at the very least check things with one another.
According to the prosecution, Bankman-Fried also made an attempt to get in touch with other FTX present and previous personnel.
They also contended that his willingness to discuss matters with Miller opens up the possibility of an attempt to sway prospective witnesses’ evidence.
The filing demanded that he refrain from doing so until he is accompanied by legal counsel or granted approval by the state.
This was to prohibit Bankman-Fried from contacting existing or past FTX employees as well as those at his trading company Alameda Research.
Plus, the brief urged Judge Kaplan to forbid Bankman-Fried from utilizing Signal or any other encrypted or transient call or messaging service.
Bankman-Fried’s Legal Team Challenges Prosecution’s Restrictions
Alameda CEO, Caroline Elison, has admitted to economic fraud and is assisting with inquiries into the demise of FTX.
She informed the prosecution that Bankman-Fried was prepared for the consequences of the platforms’ fully automated removal of messages.
Also, the prosecution claimed that prohibiting Bankman-Fried from using encrypted channels of communication would help deter contempt of court.
According to the prosecution, Bankman-Fried told Elision that a lot of legal proceedings depend on paperwork.
And, that it can be more challenging to assemble a case if the material is not recorded or saved.
It certainly is not the first time that the bond deal for Bankman-Fried has been modified.
FTX or Alameda-related funds cannot be accessed or transferred.
Especially after a request was placed at Bankman-arraignment Fried’s earlier when he pleaded not guilty to a number of financial offenses.
Bankman-attorneys Fried’s responded by contesting the investigators’ petition in a statement.
They also suggested other limitations on Bankman-communications Fried’s in the letter.
It stated that it would be impossible to implement the Government’s suggestion.
The one regarding Mr. Bankman-Fried being prohibited from speaking with any past or existing FTX workers without legal representation.
It would imply that Mr. Bankman-Fried also could not talk to his therapist, in the absence of his lawyers.
Bankman-legal Fried’s team criticized the prosecution’s suggested limitations as being unspecific.
They suggested that he be completely barred from getting in touch with some past and existing FTX and Alameda workers, including Ellison, etc.
Moreover, the defense team for Bankman-Fried claimed that the evidence presented by federal authorities does not support the suggested limitations.
This is because their customer’s efforts to get in touch with Miller were simply a harmless effort to provide aid in FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings.
It also fails to demonstrate wrongdoing.
Furthermore, the emails that Bankman-Fried sent to Miller did not include the auto-delete option turned on.
This shows that Bankman-Fried was not attempting to avoid identification, as per his attorneys.
They also mentioned that Fried’s Mr. Bankman-Fried has disabled the vanishing message option on his account.
Apparently, he is no longer sending any communications using the auto-delete features of Slack or Signal.
Bankman-legal Fried’s staff argued that the release term prohibiting him from moving monies connected to FTX or Alameda should be lifted.
This is because approximately three weeks after the restriction was requested, the justification for it is still yet to be proven.
Judge Kaplan instructed federal authorities to provide comprehensive copies of the correspondence between Miller and Bankman-Fried.
He also described the appropriate method for every legal staff to reply to the letters presented.