Names of People Who Posted SBF’s Bond Should be Made Public, US Judge Rules (Report)

Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan reportedly ruled that the names of the two individuals who allowed Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) to stay at his parents’ house under a $250 million bond should be made public. 

The former CEO of FTX faces several charges, including fraud and money laundering. His trial date is set for October 2, 2023.

• According to a report by Reuters, Judge Kaplan ruled in favor of many media outlets, such as Bloomberg, CNBC, and The Washington Post, who insisted that the identity of those people should be disclosed.
• The names will remain under seal until at least February 7 because “the question presented here is novel and an appeal is likely,” the magistrate outlined.
• After spending a brief time in a Bahamian jail, the authorities extradited Bankman-Fried to the US, where he was expected to see the prison cell from the inside.
• However, a New York federal judge ordered that he could live at his parents’ house under a $250 million bond. The 30-year-old must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and is not allowed to leave the Northern District of California.
• His attorneys previously declined to reveal the names of the sureties that enabled the bond, arguing they will suffer similar harassment as his parents.
• The lawyers claimed that Ms. Fried and Mr. Bankman have recently received “a steady stream of threatening correspondence, including communications expressing a desire that they suffer physical harm.”
• In addition, three mysterious men drove their vehicle into a metal barricade outside their house in California. Upon leaving the scene, they said: “You won’t be able to keep us out.”