The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has launched a page on its website encouraging Sam Bankman-Fried, an alleged victim of FTX fraud, to come forward and provide information about the court proceedings.
In a January 6 filing, Assistant US Attorney Danielle Sassoon asked the federal court to allow her office to obtain “reasonable, accurate, and timely notices” to inform victims of alleged fraud from the FTX crypto exchange while under the leadership of Bankman-Fried. According to Sassoon, the government proposed an “alternative plan” to notify victims in FTX cases through an online notification launched on January 6.
According to the court filing, the number of victims in the FTX case – more than one million creditors – makes it “impractical” to rely on more traditional notification methods “without complicating or prolonging the process in this matter.” Judge Lewis Kaplan approved the plea the same day.
“If you believe that you have been the victim of fraud by Samuel Bankman-Fried, a/k/a ‘SBF,’ contact the victim/witness coordinator at the United States Attorney’s Office,” the notice said.
A notice on the SDNY website informed viewers of the eight criminal charges Bankman-Fried faces in court, as well as victims’ rights under federal law. The latter includes the right to be informed of public court proceedings and plea bargains with Bankman-Fried, as well as conferences with attorneys representing the US government.
After being detained in the Bahamas and extradited to the United States, Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges in her case. The US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have announced charges against former FTX CEOs, while Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison and FTX co-founder Gary Wang have pleaded guilty to related charges.
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A bankruptcy proceeding separate from the criminal case against Wang, Ellison, and Bankman-Fried is also underway, with the next public hearing scheduled for January 11. Robinhood is connected to FTX Group, which BlockFi, Bankman-Fried, and others have filed lawsuits against.