U.S. prosecutors want to hear from anyone who thinks they’ve been defrauded by Sam Bankman-Fried.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York spotlighted in a Monday (Jan. 9) press release an email address people can use to reach a victim/witness coordinator at the office to verify whether they are a victim in the case regarding Bankman-Fried.
The press release outlines 10 rights that apply to federal crime victims, including the right to timely notice of any public court proceeding involving the accused, the right to be reasonably heard and the right to full and timely restitution.
It added that Bankman-Fried is charged with eight counts of defrauding customers of FTX.com, investors in FTX.com and lenders to Alameda Research.
“Bankman-Fried is charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to defraud the United States and violate the campaign finance laws,” the office said in the release.
Prosecutors had earlier invited FTX insiders to come forward to provide information related to the case against Bankman-Fried.
When announcing plea agreements with Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison and FTX co-founder and engineering leader Gary Wang on Dec. 21, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams released a public video saying others should contact the office.
“Today’s announcement will not be our last,” Williams said at the time. “If you participated in misconduct at FTX or Alameda, now is the time to get ahead of it. We are moving quickly and our patience is not eternal.”
The outreach to fraud victims comes a day after Brett Harrison, the former president of FTX, said during a Twitter exchange that he will reveal his insights about the firm’s collapse “in time.”
I’ll share in time
— Brett Harrison (@BrettHarrison88) January 9, 2023
As PYMNTS reported Monday, Harrison also made comments during the exchange that suggested he may also be cooperating with authorities, alongside other top executives.
In addition, it was reported Friday (Jan. 6) that prosecutors are investigating FTX’s former engineering director, Nishad Singh, to see if he had a role in the alleged fraud conducted by FTX and Alameda Research.
Singh hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing and it is not known if he is cooperating with authorities, Bloomberg reported at the time.
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