A pregnant physician’s assistant, a train conductor, and a retired investment banker are reportedly among 12 individuals who will eventually decide on the fate of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.
As per a report from Cointelegraph’s on-the-ground reporter Ana Paula Pereira, the 12 jurors were narrowed down from a list of 45 on Oct. 4, the second day of trial in Manhattan.
The potential jurors were each given a minute to introduce themselves by sharing their background, age, employment, education, relationship history, and children.
Cointelegraph reporter Pereira noted that one prospective juror said his wife worked for a law firm that provided services to FTX in the past — though it isn’t clear whether he was selected.
One prospective juror was reportedly excused after revealing she worked for a firm that invested in FTX and Alameda Research, according to Matthew Russell Lee from Inner City Press.
District Court Judge Lewis A. Kaplan then discussed jury selection with the prosecutors and Bankman-Fried’s defense lawyers before revealing the final 12 jury members about 15 minutes later.
As per Oct. 4 reports from Bloomberg and TechCrunch, the final list or jurors shows the panel will be female-dominated, comprising nine women and three men.
Their ages range from the early 30s to the late 60s, and their professions span various industries, including health, financial, legal, IT, and education. Five of them are university-educated. The full list of jurors is below:
A man, aged in his late 60’s, was an investment banker at a firm called Salomon Brothers. He completed his Master of Business Administration at Stanford University.
A man, aged 59, didn’t say what he does for work but says his company is currently being sued. It is understood the man has served as a jury member in the past.
A man, aged 61, works at the United States Postal Service. He has no wife or children and has served as a jury member in the past.
A woman, aged 39, currently works as a physician assistant and was once a medical missionary in the Dominican Republic. She’s 10 weeks pregnant, and married to a web developer.
A middle-aged woman, who once studied at Duke University and has experience working with non-profits and managing fundraisers.
A woman, aged 50, works as a train conductor. She’s a mother of five children. Two of the five children have reportedly been convicted of crimes.
A woman, aged 65, is a retired corrections officer.
A woman, aged 33, works as a nurse in Westchester, New York and reportedly studied at the State University of New York, Binghamton.
A woman, aged 40, is currently unemployed as a social worker and previously studied at Princeton University and Columbia University.
A woman, who works at a school in the Bronx, New York. She previously studied at the University of Buffalo and Syracuse University.
A woman, who works in advertising. She has an 18-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son.
A woman, aged 55, working as a special education teacher in Rockland, New York.
After the jury members were selected, a 15-minute opening statement was delivered by the prosecutors and defense. Testimonies from Marc Julliard — a Coca broker who lost about $80,000 to FTX — and Adam Yedidia — Bankman-Fried’s former close friend — were then heard before Judge Kaplan called it a day.
Bankman-Fried’s criminal trial is expected to take place over six weeks. He is facing seven fraud-related charges for his role as CEO in FTX’s shock collapse in November.
According to the US Department of Justice, Wolf Capital’s co-founder has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for luring 2,800 crypto investors into a Ponzi scheme.
Making Britain better off will be “at the forefront of the chancellor’s mind” during her visit to China, the Treasury has said amid controversy over the trip.
Rachel Reeves flew out on Friday after ignoring calls from opposition parties to cancel the long-planned venture because of market turmoil at home.
The past week has seen a drop in the pound and an increase in government borrowing costs, which has fuelled speculation of more spending cuts or tax rises.
The Tories have accused the chancellor of having “fled to China” rather than explain how she will fix the UK’s flatlining economy, while the Liberal Democrats say she should stay in Britain and announce a “plan B” to address market volatility.
However, Ms Reeves has rejected calls to cancel the visit, writing in The Times on Friday night that choosing not to engage with China is “no choice at all”.
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On Friday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defended the trip, telling Sky News that the climbing cost of government borrowing was a “global trend” that had affected many countries, “most notably the United States”.
“We are still on track to be the fastest growing economy, according to the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] in Europe,” she told Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast.
“China is the second-largest economy, and what China does has the biggest impact on people from Stockton to Sunderland, right across the UK, and it’s absolutely essential that we have a relationship with them.”
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10:32
Nandy defends Reeves’ trip to China
However, former prime minister Boris Johnson said Ms Reeves had “been rumbled” and said she should “make her way to HR and collect her P45 – or stay in China”.
While in the country’s capital, Ms Reeves will also visit British bike brand Brompton’s flagship store, which relies heavily on exports to China, before heading to Shanghai for talks with representatives across British and Chinese businesses.
It is the first UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) since 2019, building on the Labour government’s plan for a “pragmatic” policy with the world’s second-largest economy.
Sir Keir Starmer was the first British prime minister to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping in six years at the G20 summit in Brazil last autumn.
Relations between the UK and China have become strained over the last decade as the Conservative government spoke out against human rights abuses and concerns grew over national security risks.
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2:45
How much do we trade with China?
Navigating this has proved tricky given China is the UK’s fourth largest single trading partner, with a trade relationship worth almost £113bn and exports to China supporting over 455,000 jobs in the UK in 2020, according to the government.
During the Tories’ 14 years in office, the approach varied dramatically from the “golden era” under David Cameron to hawkish aggression under Liz Truss, while Rishi Sunak vowed to be “robust” but resisted pressure from his own party to brand China a threat.
The Treasury said a stable relationship with China would support economic growth and that “making working people across Britain secure and better off is at the forefront of the chancellor’s mind”.
Ahead of her visit, Ms Reeves said: “By finding common ground on trade and investment, while being candid about our differences and upholding national security as the first duty of this government, we can build a long-term economic relationship with China that works in the national interest.”