Bankman-Fried allowed to use Internet and phone while under house arrest
2023.03.04 14:06
Bankman-Fried allowed to use Internet and phone while under house arrest
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – The United States Department of Justice stated that while Bankman-Fried is out on bail, he should be permitted to use a basic laptop with limited capabilities and a flip phone that does not have access to the internet. However, he should be prohibited from using any other electronic communication devices.
On behalf of the government and Bankman-Fried’s legal team, the proposal to restrict the founder of the indicted FTX cryptocurrency exchange’s communications was filed late on Friday in Manhattan federal court.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is in charge of the case, must give his approval.
At a hearing on February 16, Kaplan indicated that he might imprison Bankman-Fried, 30, for exceeding the limits of his $250 million bail package by communicating in ways that could not be tracked.
The adjudicator said he would have rather not set Bankman-Seared “free in that frame of mind of electronic gadgets,” following allegations that Bankman-Broiled attempted to contact conceivable government witnesses and utilized a virtual confidential organization to watch football.
Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried stole billions of dollars from FTX customers to make up for losses at his hedge fund, Alameda Research, so he pleaded not guilty. An indictment that was made public on February 23 contains 12 charges against him.
Bankman-Fried’s proposed flip phone or other non-smartphone device would only be able to send and receive SMS text messages.
Only 23 personal news, sports, and food delivery websites, as well as websites designed to assist Bankman-Fried in preparing for his scheduled Oct. 2 trial, could be accessed via laptop internet.
In Palo Alto, California, Bankman-Fried is under house arrest with his parents, both of whom are professors at Stanford Law School.
The parents agreed to sign sworn affidavits stating that they would not allow their son to use any other electronic devices in their home.
According to the letter, they also agreed that software would be installed on each device that periodically took photos or videos of the user and would be available for court officers to review.
