FTX Co-Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Appeals 25-Year Conviction And Makes Unusual Request

In a dramatic turn of events, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for defrauding users. The judgment was handed down by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan during a hearing in a Lower Manhattan federal courtroom on March 28.  Bankman-Fried, who had publicly announced [...]

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BREAKING: Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison

In a highly anticipated courtroom verdict, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for defrauding users. US District Judge Lewis Kaplan delivered the judgment during a Lower Manhattan federal courtroom hearing. Related Reading: The Bulls Are Back: Spot Bitcoin Inflows Surge With New Records FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced Judge Kaplan sternly criticized the defense’s argument, labeling it as misleading, logically flawed, and speculative. As reported by our sister site, Bitcoinist, Kaplan highlighted Bankman-Fried’s obstruction of justice and witness tampering during his defense, which were significant factors considered in the sentencing decision. Bankman-Fried expressed remorse in a statement, acknowledging that his series of “selfish” decisions as the leader of FTX had led to the exchange’s downfall. He admitted to having “thrown it all away” and expressed regret that continues to haunt him daily. Prosecutors had initially sought a maximum sentence of 50 years, while Bankman-Fried’s legal team argued for a maximum of 6 years. In November, Bankman-Fried was found guilty on seven criminal counts, and he has since been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Life Plans Shattered Late Tuesday, prosecutors submitted documents containing testimonies from victims, shedding light on the impact of Bankman-Fried’s actions. One victim, whose name was redacted, wrote a letter dated March 15, describing the destruction of their entire life and the emotional toll it had taken on their family.  They emphasized that they had entrusted their funds to FTX as a custodian, not consenting to the risks Bankman-Fried had taken with their money. The victim shared the suffering that had led to depression and even thoughts of suicide. Related Reading: Fantom: Market Slowdown Chops Off 10% From Gains Heres Why During the trial, prosecutors revealed that Bankman-Fried had diverted funds from FTX customers, amounting to as much as $8 billion. These funds were allegedly used to finance a wide range of external interests, including political initiatives, speculative investments, and funding the lifestyles of FTX executives. Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com

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FTX Provides Details On $16 Billion Distribution Timeline For Customers And Creditors

The long-awaited resolution for nearly $16 billion in funds owed to users and customers of the defunct crypto exchange FTX is approaching, as the estate managing the recovery process has outlined the next steps and timeline for distribution.  FTX Nears Completion Of Chapter 11 Plan In Thursday’s announcement, FTX confirmed that it is nearing the completion of the final prerequisites necessary for its Court-approved Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization to take effect, marking a significant milestone toward initiating creditor and customer distributions. John J. Ray III, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Restructuring Officer of the FTX Debtors, expressed optimism about the upcoming distributions, saying that they will begin distributing proceeds in “early 2025”. Ray emphasized that the timeline reflects the diligent efforts of the team working on behalf of FTX’s creditors and customers, who have reportedly recovered billions of dollars to date. He reassured stakeholders that the team is committed to maximizing recoveries and is actively working to finalize arrangements with distribution agents to expedite the return of funds. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Almost Hits $98,000: Key Reasons Behind The Rally FTX provided updates on the anticipated timeline for these distributions. In early December, the estate expects to finalize agreements with specialized distribution agents tasked with facilitating the global distribution of recoveries to customers in supported jurisdictions.  At that time, FTX will provide detailed instructions for affected customers on how to establish an approved account with these agents through the existing customer portal. What Customers Must Know By the end of December, FTX plans to announce the exact effective date for the distributions, contingent upon a Court Order that will approve the Disputed Claims Reserve Amounta necessary step outlined in the Confirmation Order. The current expectation is for the Plan to be effective in early January 2025.  Following this, the first distribution will be made to holders of allowed claims in the Plan’s Convenience Classes within 60 days. Importantly, the distribution record date will coincide with the effective date, meaning customers will need to be prepared to act swiftly. For customers to qualify for the initial distribution, they must establish an approved account with a distribution agent and complete Know Your Customer (KYC) verification, along with submitting the required tax forms before the distribution record date.  Additionally, claims traders should be aware of specific provisions in the Plan regarding trades made within 45 days prior to the distribution record date.  Claims traded during this period may not be reflected on the claims register by the end of business on the distribution record date, which could result in distributions being made to the original claim holders rather than the current traders. FTT Price Reacts To Distribution Announcement At the time of writing, FTX’s native token, FTT, is trading at $2.36, reflecting a substantial surge of nearly 10% within the past 24 hours.  Over a longer time frame, the token has posted impressive gains, rising around 40% over the past fourteen days and 18% over the past thirty days, in line with the broader market rally following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory on 5 November. Related Reading: Whale Alert: $2 Million PEPE Purchase Sees 105 Billion Tokens Snapped Up Data from CoinGecko further indicates that FTT has experienced a significant rise in trading volume over the past 48 hours, which has surged by 38%, resulting in over $135 million traded during this period. However, it is important to note that FTT’s current price remains significantly below its all-time high of $84, reached during the bull market of September 2021, marking a decline of over 97% from its peak value. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

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FTX Bankruptcy Plan Approved: $16 Billion In Assets To Be Repaid, FTT Price Soars 20%

A US bankruptcy court has officially approved crypto exchange FTX liquidation plan, paving the way for it to repay customers using $16 billion in recovered assets, according to Reuters, which reports that the ruling was made by Judge John Dorsey during a court hearing in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday. Court Approves FTX Settlements The approved plan includes a series of settlements with FTX customers, creditors, US government agencies, and liquidators tasked with managing the companys operations outside the United States.  Related Reading: Heres Where We Are In The Bitcoin Bull Cycle According To The Wall Street Cheat Sheet These settlements prioritize the repayment of customers before addressing claims from government regulators, allowing FTX to utilize its assets effectively in the repayment process. Under the approved plan, FTX customers will receive at least 118% of the value of their accounts as of November 2022, the month the failed crypto exchange filed for bankruptcy. Customer Reactions Remain Mixed According to Reuters, FTX has characterized this outcome as a triumph for its creditors, attributing it to the successful recovery of cash and crypto assets that had initially gone missing amid the chaos surrounding the companys collapse.  Additionally, FTX has raised further funds by liquidating other assets, including its investments in various technology firms, such as the artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic. Related Reading: Dogecoin Analyst Expects A Multi-Year Bullish Breakout 200% Surge Potential However, customer reactions to the repayment plan have been mixed. Many former users of the exchange have expressed disappointment, feeling that the collapse of FTX prevented them from taking advantage of a significant rebound in cryptocurrency prices since the market hit its lowest point in 2022. Some customers have voiced objections to the plan, arguing for higher repayments that reflect the recent increases in crypto values. FTX has maintained that it cannot simply return the cryptocurrency assets originally deposited by customers, as those assets were misappropriated by founder Sam Bankman-Fried.  Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in March for defrauding FTX customers, has since appealed his conviction, further complicating the aftermath of the exchanges failure. At the time of writing, the exchange’s native token, FTT, has jumped 20% to the $3 mark for the first time in nearly 8 months amid the first quarter of the year’s uptrend.  CoinGecko data also shows that FTT has seen a notable 176% increase in trading volume in the last few hours, but is still down nearly 97% from its all-time high of $84, reached in September 2021.  Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

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