A federal judge ruled there was “probable cause” to suspect that SBF engaged in acts that might place him in jail until his trial in October.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s bail could “perhaps” be revoked after a federal judge determined that there was “probable cause” to think the former FTX CEO tried witness tampering.
Judge Lewis Kaplan stated on February 16 during a hearing on Bankman-Fried’s bail terms that there was “probable reason to suspect that he [Bankman-Fried] has done or attempted to conduct a federal offence while on release, namely witness tampering.”
Kaplan said that this may “perhaps” result in the reincarceration of the FTX founder until his October trial. Kaplan observed that the hearing on February 16 was not a hearing to revoke bail, but said that it “may conceivably get there.”
On February 15, prosecutors requested that Bankman-Fried’s gadget usage be further restricted to a single monitored computer and telephone.
Prosecutors cited Bankman-Fried’s recent use of digital devices as a cause for worry and sought to further restrict and monitor his usage “with restricted exceptions.”
At the hearing, Judge Kaplan stated that it was foolish to expect that these limits would prevent Bankman-Fried from accessing the internet, considering that he lives with his parents, both of whom have laptops and cellphones.
Prosecutor Nicholas Roos appeared to concur, indicating that there may not be a “wonderful solution,” prompting Kaplan to hint that removing Bankman-Fried’s bail could minimise these concerns, stating:
“However, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys argued that they need him to work on his case, stating, “We cannot go through these complex financial documents without him.”
Since February 9, the former CEO of FTX has been restricted from using certain messaging apps after it was discovered that he had contacted prospective witnesses. In addition, he was temporarily prohibited from accessing a virtual private network (VPN) after prosecutors accused him of using one on January 29 and February 12.
The VPN ban was not extended during the hearing on February 16. Given the circumstances, many within and outside the crypto community have expressed incredulity that Bankman-Fried’s bail has not yet been revoked.
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