Former FTX CEO’s Busy Meeting Schedule Before Exchange Collapse
In September 2022, just two months before the collapse of FTX, former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried had a calendar full of meetings with influential individuals, according to the testimony of Richard Busick, an FBI special agent. Busick testified in court as a prosecution witness in Bankman-Fried’s criminal trial.
Busick was tasked with locating Bankman-Fried’s mobile phone using cell tower data between June 2021 and November 2022. This data, along with emails obtained by the Department of Justice, revealed a busy September for Bankman-Fried.
Meetings with Prominent Figures
According to the emails, Bankman-Fried had a meeting with former President Bill Clinton on September 20 at a Hilton hotel in New York City. Additionally, he was recorded as meeting with New York State Governor Kathy Hochul on September 16 at a restaurant, possibly Capital Grille on East 42nd Street.
Bankman-Fried also met with Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan, chairman of Saudi Aramco, and Khalid A. Al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s minister of investments, during the following two days. The data also showed that Bankman-Fried had a meeting with New York City Mayor Eric Adams on March 3, 2022.
The purpose of these meetings has not been disclosed.
SBF’s Political Influence Campaign
Nishad Singh, FTX’s former Head of Engineering, recently revealed Bankman-Friend’s efforts to direct political donations. This theme of acquiring political influence also appears in Michael Lewis’ book “Going Infinite.”
FTX experienced a liquidity crisis in November 2022 and filed for bankruptcy. In December, Bankman-Fried was charged with fraud by a U.S. grand jury and subsequently arrested in the Bahamas and extradited to the U.S.
Former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, FTX co-founder and former CTO Gary Wang, and Nishad Singh have all pleaded guilty to fraud charges and testified as prosecution witnesses in Bankman-Fried’s trial.
Hot Take: Bankman-Fried’s High-Level Connections Under Scrutiny
The revelation of Sam Bankman-Fried’s packed meeting schedule with prominent figures raises questions about his connections and potential influence in the political and business world. The meetings with former President Bill Clinton, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, Saudi Aramco’s chairman, Saudi Arabia’s minister of investments, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicate Bankman-Fried’s reach into various spheres of power.
This information adds another layer to the ongoing criminal trial against Bankman-Fried and further explores the extent of his political influence campaign. The testimonies of former FTX executives and the evidence gathered by the Department of Justice paint a picture of a CEO actively engaging with influential individuals, potentially for undisclosed reasons.
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