Attorney who charged Sam Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend and FTX co-founder gives stern warning

The attorney who charged Sam Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend and FTX co-founder gave a stern warning to all crypto crooks to come forward while plea deals are still on the table.

Sam Bankman-Fried‘s FTX co-founder, as well as his ex-girlfriend, have both pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges as part of deal for leniency. 

Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison – who once dated the embattled crypto crook – entered the guilty pleas in exchange for easier sentences at the Southern District of New York Court today.

Wang and Ellison have been charged ‘in connection with their roles and the frauds that contributed to FTX’s collapse,’ including wire fraud, securities fraud, and commodities fraud, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.

Their guilty pleas came just hours before Bankman-Fried himself landed in the US following his extradition from the Bahamas.  

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who charged Sam Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend and FTX co-founder, has given a stern warning to all crypto crooks to come forward while plea deals are on the table

The disgraced former crypto CEO is pictured being escorted on to a plane out of the Bahamas earlier today. He arrived in the US yesterday

Williams said that that after entering their pleas, both Wang and Ellison were co-operating with New York officials in their case against the FTX founder. 

The official warned other FTX fraudsters to come forward, or face the full wrath of the federal government.

He said last night: ‘If you were participating in misconduct, now is the time to get ahead of it.

‘We are moving quickly, and our patience is not eternal.’ 

Williams confirmed the pleas and the transfer of Bankman-Fried to New York was in connection with a ‘sweeping fraud scheme that contributed to FTX’s collapse and for a campaign finance scheme that sought to influence public policy in Washington.’

He went on to reiterate the federal court’s investigation into the alleged fraudulent activity carried out by brass at Bankman-Fried’s companies is still ongoing, saying specifically that today’s charges – announced in a pair of simultaneous SEC complaints against the two execs – are far from the last. 

Caroline Ellison, the CEO of Alameda Research, is reportedly working with the federal government against her ex-boyfriend Sam Bankman-Fried. She has been charged and pleaded guilty to allegations of fraud in connection to FTX’s downfall

U.S. authorities announced the charges in a statement Wednesday, revealing one of the two top executives to be fellow FTX founder Gary Wang

Bankman-Fried’s plane, pictured on the runway in the Bahamas, before it set off to the US

Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX co-founder and his ex-girlfriend have both pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges in relation to the exchange’s collapse last month. Officials confirmed Bankman-Fried, 30, is now in FBI custody and is set to appear in New York court imminently

Officials from Williams office added that Bankman-Fried – whose personal $16billion fortune vanished in the exchange’s $32billion implosion – could be arraigned before Judge Ronnie Abrams as early as tomorrow.

Otherwise it is understood he will be held in overnight custody.

Bankman-Fried, 30, faces eight charges which include allegedly conning investors out of $1.8billion by diverting cash to his private crypto hedge fund Alameda Research, run by his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend.

He confirmed that Bankman-Fried is in FBI custody after being extradited from the Bahamas.

Bankman-Fried, is set to be in SDNY court imminently after being arrested by FBI officials while in the Bahamas. 

He has been charged with orchestrating a multiyear fraud that diverted billions in customer money for personal uses, including buying millions of dollars of real estate on the Caribbean Islands. 

Prosecutors contend he frauded customers, investors and lenders involved with his now defunct crypto firm, which was once one of the biggest in the world before its sudden fall last month.

Bankman-Fried was escorted on to a plane as part of his extradition

Bankman-Fried’s plane was seen leaving the Bahamas

During his extradition on Wednesday, Bankman-Fried was seen escorted by heavily armed guards at Odyssey executive jet facility next to Lynden Pindling International Airport

The 30-year-old consented to extradition to the United States and could be tried in New York Southern District Court today

Bankman-Fried initially said he would contest extradition, but it was later reported over the weekend that he would reverse that decision

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a separate statement said it has also charged Ellison and Wang for their roles in a multi-year scheme to defraud equity investors of FTX.

During his extradition on Wednesday morning, Bankman-Fried was seen escorted by heavily armed guards at Odyssey executive jet facility next to Lynden Pindling International Airport in the Bahamas, ahead of his 6.25pm flight to the United States.

The alleged fraudster looked somewhat disheveled as he was pictured handcuffed exiting the nine-vehicle convoy, with several SWAT team SUVs present.

Bankman-Fried had initially said he would contest extradition, but it was reported over the weekend that he has since reversed that stance.

It came after the disgraced FTX founder spent several days in the notorious His Majesty’s Prison Fox Hill – dubbed by locals as Fox Hell – where inmates in overcrowded cells defecate in buckets.

They also include wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

Each carries a maximum prison term of 20 years, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Bankman-Fried – one of the most powerful players in the crypto industry – was extradited after confusion Monday in a Bahamas court, where prosecutors, his local defense lawyer, and even the presiding magistrate seemed puzzled as to why the proceedings were being held.

The hearing was convened after reports surfaced that Bankman-Fried had a change-of-hear regarding his extradition. 

His attorney Jerone Roberts notably told the court: ‘I am not sure what Bankman-Fried is doing here this morning.’ 

The pressure of the case appeared to have taken a toll on the 30-year-old who wore a dark blue jacket and untucked shirt to the court hearing

Fox Hill prison where Bankman-Fried was detained. A prison official said the cells are ‘roughly 8ft by 10ft. Some have bathroom facilities, but many do not’

Prisoners dressed in rough-looking uniforms of wide blue and gray stripes, could be seen in various work parties in the low-security area beside the main entrance

A 2020 study by the Inter-American Development Bank found that 65 percent of inmates at Fox Hill said that drugs were easier to get inside the prison than outside