A Judge Just Ordered Sam Bankman-Fried to Go To Jail. 'He Tried to Tamper with Witnesses at Least Twice.'The disgraced former CEO of FTX will remain in custody ahead of his criminal trial in October.

ByJonathan Small•Aug 11, 2023

There will be no more home-cooked meals forSam Bankman-Fried.

The fallen crypto king has been holed up at his parents' home in Palo Alto since pleading not guilty to fraud charges stemming fromFTX's collapse. But this afternoon in a Manhattan courtroom, a judge revoked Bankman-Fried's bail, ordering him to go directly to jail before his trial scheduled to begin on October 2.

"My conclusion is there is probable cause to believe the defendant tried to tamper with witnesses at least twice,"said Judge Lewis A. Kaplanduring his ruling.

According to CNBC,court marshals took Bankman-Fried into custody after the hearing. He removed his jacket, tie, and shoes and emptied his pockets. A reporter for CNBC, who was in the courtroom, said that Bankman Fried's mother had her face buried in her hands during the ruling.

Accused of witness tampering

Prosecutors alleged that Bankman-Fried shared emails from his former girlfriend,Caroline Ellison, withThe New York Timesto intimidate her before his trial in October. They also said that Bankman-Fried leaked information to other journalists, including Michael Lewis, who is writing a book about FTX.

去年1月,检方认为Bankman-Fried was sending messages to a former FTX executive who was a potential witness in the case, according to theTimes. They also said Bankman-Fried was using VPN to access the internet and sending encrypted messages on Signal.

Judge Lewis responded by banning Bankman-Fried fromcontacting current or former employees. But, the order was not obeyed, and Bankman-Friend will now have to prep for his trial from a jail cell.

At press time, it was not clear where Bankman-Friend would be held. Prosecutors requested a jail in Putnam, New York, so he could access a laptop with internet. But the nearest jail to the courthouse is the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which has limited internet access for prisoners.

Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor in Chief of Green Entrepreneur

Jonathan Small is editor-in-chief ofGreen Entrepreneur, a vertical from Entrepreneur Media focused on the intersection of sustainability and business. He is also an award-winning journalist, producer, and podcast host of the upcoming True Crime series, Dirty Money, andWrite About Nowpodcasts. Jonathan is the founder ofStrike Fire Productions, a premium podcast production company. He had held editing positions atGlamour,Stuff,Fitness, andTwistMagazines. His stories have appeared inThe New York Times, TV Guide,Cosmo,Details, andGood Housekeeping. Previously, Jonathan served as VP of Content for the GSN (the Game Show Network), where he produced original digital video series.