Sam Bankman-Fried accused of putting pressure on witnesses through Signal messenger

The US authorities are considering banning the founder of the bankrupt FTX exchange from using the anonymous messenger Signal, all because of the pressure on witnesses allegedly exerted by Sam Bankman-Fried. The prosecutor’s office is currently planning to seek a court injunction against SBF Signal.

As CNBC journalists found out, the prosecution suspected Bankman-Fried of putting pressure on witnesses in the FTX collapse case, but it is not known who exactly the ex-executive was trying to influence (or is influencing). The letter from federal prosecutors states that Benkman-Fried tried to contact the chief legal counsel of FTX.US. Currently, this position is held by Ryan Miller, a former partner at the consulting firm Kirkland & Ellis.

«I would very much like to reconnect to see if a constructive relationship is possible to advise each other whenever possible, or at least to clarify certain data from each other,» Benkman-Fried wrote in a letter to Miller. This comes a few days after the exchange’s lawyers reported that they had restored access to $ 5 billion.

The letter from prosecutors also claims that the controversial FTX founder has established contacts with other current and past employees of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange. In addition to Signal, the prosecutor’s office is asking the court to ban Benkman-Fried from using any anonymous messengers.

It is believed that Caroline Ellison, the former head of the Alameda Research hedge fund, learned from Bankman-Fried about the difficulties of initiating a criminal case «if the information is not recorded or stored.» Prior to this, Allison’s statement had not been mentioned in the trial.

Bankman-Fried's propensity to pressure his employees is known from the statements of former FTX. US CEO Brett Harrison: SBF representatives threatened him with the destruction of his career and professional reputation if he continued to oppose the decisions of FTX management. According to the former president of FTX. US, Bankman-Fried has repeatedly resorted to hostility, gaslighting (devaluation of labor), and manipulation of his colleagues.

The official indictment accuses Fried of defrauding FTX clients since 2019. The ex-billionaire is also suspected of making tens of millions in illegal political donations to protect himself and his business. Earlier, there were rumors that the ex-CEO of FTX bribed US Democrats and that is why he remained at large. The arrested Freed was first extradited from the Bahamas to the United States and then released on $ 250 million bail.