The United States’ Department of Justice (DOJ) has said it will not proceed with campaign finance charges against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in a filing submitted to Judge Kaplan on Wednesday.
The update is in response to the defense’s argument that the Justice Department cannot pursue campaign finance charges against the defendant, as it is not covered in the extradition treaty between The Bahamas and the United States. In order to address this issue, the DOJ reached out to The Bahamas for clarification.
As per the court’s request for an update on the situation, the DOJ has now received confirmation from The Bahamas that they do not intend to extradite the defendant specifically for the campaign contributions charge. Consequently, the DOJ, in accordance with its treaty obligations to The Bahamas, has decided not to proceed with a trial on the campaign contributions count.
An excerpt from the filing reads: “The Government has been informed that The Bahamas notified the United States earlier today that The Bahamas did not intend to extradite the defendant on the campaign contributions count. Accordingly, in keeping with its treaty obligations to The Bahamas, the Government does not intend to proceed to trial on the campaign contributions count.”
SBF facing accusations of leaking Caroline Ellison’s diary
Last Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) made accusations against Sam Bankman-Fried, claiming that he was responsible for the disclosure of a personal diary belonging to former Alameda Research CEO, Caroline Ellison. These allegations arose following the publication of an article titled ‘Inside the Private Writings of Caroline Ellison, Star Witness in the FTX Case’ by The New York Times. The article revealed “new insight into Ms. Ellison’s psychology during the final months of FTX,” with parts of it described as “personal and raw.”
According to the filing: “The defendant’s actions—sharing personal writings of Caroline Ellison’s with a New York Times reporter—implicate the core concern of Rule 23.1 that disseminating material related to the “testimony or credibility of prospective witnesses” presumptively involves a substantial likelihood or prejudice to a fair trial and the due administration of justice.”
In addition to the initial accusations, they alleged that SBF made efforts to tarnish Ellison’s reputation by portraying her negatively in the media and presenting a defense that implied she acted independently out of personal reasons.
In response to these allegations and to ensure a fair trial, the DOJ is now seeking an order to restrict extrajudicial statements that might undermine the integrity of the proceedings.
