Sam Bankman-Fried has been accused of manipulating his trial since the moment of FTX’s collapse. He gave seemingly innumerable interviews and public appearances in the weeks before his arrest, said The Node newsletter. During his house arrest, he has continued to give interviews proclaiming his innocence, though lower-profile. Prosecutors allege that Bankman-Fried’s recent sharing of the private diary of Caroline Ellison, whom he installed as nominal CEO of FTX, was an attempt to discredit or intimidate her ahead of the trial.
But this is only the latest in a series of reckless behaviors by Bankman-Fried. He has allegedly reached out to many of those expected to testify against him, and has repeatedly lied in his public statements about what happened. He has also allegedly used VPN software to obscure his internet activity, which the court did not buy. And most recently, he leaked Ellison’s private diary to the New York Times.
The Node newsletter further noted that Bankman-Fried’s behavior is a sign of utter disregard for [the] generosity and friendship of those who offered to help him, such as Stanford University faculty members Larry Kramer and Anthony Paepcke. In return for loyalty and friendship, they said, Bankman-Fried has allegedly violated his bail conditions in the course of attempting to discredit a former romantic partner (and also employee).
Today’s court hearing will decide whether Bankman-Fried has talked himself from cushy house arrest back into a concrete and steel jail cell.