Former crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Bankman-Fried, 32, sentenced for fraud on customers of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded.
Former crypto tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried has been sentenced to 25 years in United States federal prison for stealing $8bn from customers of the now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded.
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan handed down the sentence at a Manhattan court hearing on Thursday after rejecting Bankman-Fried’s claim that FTX customers did not actually lose money and accusing him of lying during his trial testimony.
A jury found Bankman-Fried, 32, guilty on November 2 on seven fraud and conspiracy counts stemming from FTX’s 2022 collapse in what prosecutors have called one of the biggest financial frauds in US history.
“He knew it was wrong,” Kaplan said of Bankman-Fried before handing down the sentence. “He knew it was criminal. He regrets that he made a very bad bet about the likelihood of getting caught. But he is not going to admit a thing, as is his right.”
Bankman-Fried stood with his hands clasped before him as Kaplan read the sentence.
Kaplan said the sentence reflected “that there is a risk that this man will be in position to do something very bad in the future. And it’s not a trivial risk at all.”
Prior to sentencing, Bankman-Fried stood and apologised. “A lot of people feel really let down. And they were very let down. And I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry about what happened at every stage,” he said.
“My useful life is probably over. It’s been over for a while now, from before my arrest.”
Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey, reporting from New York, said that Bankman-Fried could have received up to 110 years behind bars for his crimes and that the 25-year sentence was less than the 40-50 years that prosecutors were seeking.
“Given the scale of this crime, one of the largest frauds in history, the judge took a very strong stance but also showed some flexibility… perhaps based on the arguments made by Bankman-Fried’s lawyers and his family that he had always intended to do good”, she said.
Bankman-Fried had billed himself as a proponent of effective altruism – finding the best way to help other people, in particular by donating all or part of one’s wealth to charity rather than, say, volunteering at a soup kitchen.
When the cryptocurrency world lurched into crisis in the spring of 2022, he bought shares in the troubled platform BlockFi and another troubled company, Voyager.
However, prosecutors have said the responsible image he cultivated concealed his years-long embezzlement of customer funds.
“The defendant victimised tens of thousands of people and companies, across several continents, over a period of multiple years. He stole money from customers who entrusted it to him” prosecutors said in a court filing.
These are exciting times for the UK gambling industry. The impact of internet technology is now being felt with online gambling now controlling the industry. The adoption of cutting-edge technology is reasonable for the boom in the industry. From live casinos, mobile apps to artificial intelligence, incredible trends continue shaping the gambling industry. However, it is the rise of cryptocurrency casinos that seeks to redefine UK gambling. Many operators now include crypto coins such as bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin as part of their banking methods. Others offer exclusive bitcoin payments and promotions based on digital tokens. This revolutionary trend has a huge impact due to enhanced safety and security on these platforms. Players looking for peace of mind when playing online now opt to use cryptocurrencies. This post looks at how cryptos guarantee the safety and security of players at online casinos. How Cryptocurrency Gambling Works There’s a lot of talk ab...
Customers in those countries who send crypto outside their Coinbase accounts must provide recipients’ names, addresses and in some cases, additional information, as of early April. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global (COIN) will soon require its customers in Canada, Japan and Singapore who send cryptocurrency to another financial institution or exchange to provide the name, address and in the case of Japan, the destination wallet of the recipient. Coinbase has been sending notices to its customers in those countries that the changes will take effect in early April in order to comply with local travel rules in those places. Coinbase didn't immediately respond to requests for additional comment on the moves, but confirmed that they were taking place. The move does not seem to be going over well with Coinbase customers in those countries, who value the anonymity of transactions using cryptocurrency. According to a FAQ provided by Coinbase , for Canadian users, ...
Use your Unused Internet Bandwidth to make $$$ In today’s interconnected world, the concept of passive income has taken on new dimensions, offering innovative ways for individuals to monetize underutilized assets. One such groundbreaking avenue involves earning money by selling your unused internet connection. By participating in decentralized networks like Grass, individuals have the opportunity to turn their dormant bandwidth into a valuable asset, contributing to a fairer and more equitable digital landscape while generating income. Grass is a decentralized network sharing application designed to offer an alternative to existing centralized networks. It allows users to sell their unused bandwidth directly, without the need for exploitative middlemen. The platform operates by enabling users to download a web extension that runs in the background, assisting others in accessing public web data in exchange for payment using the protocol’s native token. How ...
Comments
Post a Comment