Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of cryptocurrency trading platform FTX, is facing a legal battle with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ has filed a motion to ban Bankman-Fried from contacting FTX employees as part of a bankruptcy investigation.
The investigation centers around Bankman-Fried’s mother, Caroline Ellison, and her involvement in a bankruptcy case. Lawyers representing the DOJ allege that Ellison and Bankman-Fried have not been cooperating with the investigation.
In response, Bankman-Fried has filed an objection to the DOJ’s motion to tighten bail conditions. He claims that the prosecutors “sandbagged” him by filing the motion without giving him enough notice.
Meanwhile, the DOJ has also accused Bankman-Fried of attempting to influence a witness through the encrypted messaging app Signal. The DOJ alleges that Bankman-Fried attempted to influence the witness in order to gain an advantage in the bankruptcy case.
The case is ongoing, and Bankman-Fried is expected to appear in court later this month. For now, he remains under the current bail conditions and is prohibited from contacting FTX employees.