Sex, Signal messages and sabotage: SBF’s top execs and Bahamas roommates tell all in court
Witness Adam Yedidia answers questions during Sam Bankman-Fried fraud trial over the collapse of FTX, the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, at Federal Court in New York City, October 5, 2023, in this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
Two of Sam Bankman-Fried’s former friends from MIT, who also worked at crypto exchange FTX while living with the company’s founder in the Bahamas, took the stand in a Manhattan courtroom this week to testify against their former classmate, confidant, and boss — a man who allegedly ran a crypto empire that defrauded thousands of customers out of billions of dollars.
Gary Wang, the lesser-known co-founder of FTX, was asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos on Thursday, “Did you commit financial crimes while working at FTX?”
“Yes,” responded Wang. He said that his crimes, including wire and commodities fraud, were carried out with the help of Bankman-Fried, FTX ex-engineering head Nishad Singh and Caroline Ellison, who ran sister hedge fund Alameda Research and had been Bankman-Fried’s girlfriend.
“Mr. Wang, do you see any of the people you committed those crimes with in the courtroom today?” Roos continued.
Wang, dressed in an oversized and wrinkled suit with a red tie and glasses, awkwardly stood up and looked around the courtroom before responding, “Yes.”
“Who do you see?” asked Roos.
“Sam Bankman-Fried,” he said.
The trial, set to last six weeks, will resume on Tuesday with key testimony expected from Ellison, who is considered the prosecution’s star witness, having already pleaded guilty to multiple charges. Bankman-Fried faces seven federal charges, including wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering, that could put him in prison for the rest of his life.
Thus far, Bankman-Fried, 31, has remained mostly quiet in court intently listening to witnesses and at times writing notes to his attorneys. But as Wang testified against him, Bankman-Fried looked visibility upset, shifting his gaze from his former friend to the ground, and at one point putting his head in his hands.
Sam Bankman-Fried listens as Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos questions Gary Wang during Bankman-Fried’s fraud trial over the collapse of FTX, the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., October 6, 2023, in this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
Wang, 30, was technology chief for FTX, which spiraled into bankruptcy in November. He spoke so fast that U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan and the prosecutor both stopped him at points to ask that he slow his pace.
Much of Wang’s testimony on Friday focused on the final days at FTX before the entire operation imploded, including reports in the media detailing Alameda’s business practices and its troubling ties to FTX.
Wang said that in response to the reporting an emergency meeting was called between Bankman-Fried, Wang and Singh, to discuss shutting down Alameda. He said they ultimately decided against such a move, because he and Bankman-Fried were aware that Alameda had no way to repay the roughly $14 billion hole in its books.
Prosecutors took the jury through a series of tweets, beginning on Nov. 7. Posts came from the company blaming bank hours for slow withdrawals, while Bankman-Fried tweeted from his personal account, assuring customers that all was fine.
“FTX was not fine and assets were not fine,” Wang testified.
On Nov. 12, after FTX declared bankruptcy, Bankman-Fried asked Wang to drive with him to the Bahamas Securities Commission for a meeting. On the drive, Bankman-Fried told Wang to transfer assets to Bahamian liquidators because he believed they would allow him to maintain control of the company. Wang said he wasn’t in the meeting with the securities authority, though Bankman-Fried’s dad was present.
Wang said he returned to the U.S. and met with prosecutors the next day. He faces up to 50 years in prison when he faces a judge for sentencing following this trial. He told jurors he signed a six-page cooperation agreement that requires him to meet with prosecutors, answer their questions truthfully and turn over evidence.
Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, is seen during a hearing as a U.S judge revoked his bail, at a courthouse in New York, U.S., August 11, 2023 in this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
$65 billion line of credit
For months, Bankman-Fried has known that Wang and Ellison, who were integral members of his personal and professional inner circles, had turned on him. Both pleaded guilty in December and have since been cooperating with the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan.
Wang’s testimony, which stretched into Friday, was given under a cooperation agreement with the government. Ellison is expected to take the stand under a similar arrangement.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan presides as Gary Wang testifies during the fraud trial of Sam Bankman-Fried over the collapse of FTX, the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., October 6, 2023 in this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
Born in China, Wang moved to the U.S. at age 7, and grew up in Minnesota before going to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study math and computer science. He worked at Google after college.
Wang, who first met Bankman-Fried during high school at a summer camp, owned 10% of Alameda, while his boss owned the other 90%. Wang told the court about the advantages that Alameda received by having code baked into FTX’s software that allowed special access to the crypto exchange. Those privileges ultimately resulted in Alameda owing FTX $8 billion worth of customer deposits.
“We gave special privileges on FTX that gave unlimited withdrawals on the platform to Alameda,” Wang said. Alameda was allowed to withdraw and transfer those funds and had a $65 billion line of credit.
“When customers deposited USD, it went to Alameda,” he said. “It existed in the computer code. Alameda could have negative balances and unlimited withdrawals.”
That “bug” in the code was written by Nishad Singh, who was FTX’s director of engineering, and reviewed by Wang. Bankman-Fried was calling the shots, Wang said.
Wang also told the court about a $1 million personal loan he received and a $200 million to $300 million loan in his name from Alameda that was never deposited into his account, but rather was used to make investments into other companies on behalf of FTX. That was all done by Bankman-Fried, he testified.
In early 2020, Wang said he discovered for the first time Alameda’s negative balance exceeded FTX’s revenue, an indication that Alameda was taking customer funds. Wang said he brought this to Bankman-Fried’s attention several times.
In late 2021, Wang discovered Alameda had withdrawn $3 billion from its $65 billion line of credit.
Wang’s compensation was a base salary of $200,000 per year plus stock. He owned roughly 17% of FTX.
Even though they were co-founders, “ultimately it was Sam’s decision to make” when there were disagreements, he said.
Assistant United States Attorney Nicolas Roos questions Gary Wang during Sam Bankman-Fried’s fraud trial over the collapse of FTX, the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., October 6, 2023, in this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
An $8 billion bug
Adam Yedidia, who was the prosecution’s second witness on Wednesday, continued his testimony on Thursday. Yedidia met Bankman-Fried in college at MIT, and the pair remained close friends.
Yedidia, assuming a robotic posture on the stand, worked out of FTX’s Hong Kong office from January to October of 2021 and then in the Bahamas until last year’s collapse. In his testimony, he referred to a group Signal thread called “People of the House,” referring to Bankman-Fried’s $35 million penthouse, where many employees lived.
Exhibit from the prosecution shows Signal thread called “People of the House,” referring to Bankman-Fried’s $35 million penthouse, where many employees lived.
Source: SDNY
In terms of who was paying the rent, Yedidia recalled Bankman-Fried saying he “assumed it’s just Alameda paying for it in the end.”
Yedidia said Bankman-Fried had told him, before he began working in the Bahamas in 2019, that he and Ellison had sex. Bankman-Fried asked Yedidia if it was a good idea for them to date, to which Yedidia said no. Bankman-Fried responded by saying he was expecting that answer.
One of Yedidia’s responsibilities was fixing the bug in the code that gave Alameda preferential treatment. In June 2022, he submitted a report to Bankman-Fried on Signal that showed $8 billion in customer money held in an internal database tracking the cash wired to an Alameda account called “fiat at ftx.com” was missing.
Yedidia said he and Bankman-Fried spoke about it at the pickleball court at the resort in Nassau, Bahamas. He asked his boss if things were OK. He was concerned because it “seemed like a lot of money” from FTX customers was at risk.
“Sam said, we were bulletproof last year. We aren’t bulletproof this year,” Yedidia testified.
Yedidia said he asked when they would be bulletproof again.
Bankman-Fried said he wasn’t sure, but it may be six months to three years. Yedidia said Bankman-Fried appeared “worried or nervous,” which he said was atypical. Still, Yedidia said he trusted Bankman-Fried and Ellison to “handle the situation.”
On cross-examination, Christian Everdell, Bankman-Fried’s attorney, focused on how Yedidia was the one responsible for developing and reviewing the code.
He asked about the long hours employees worked and Yedidia’s concern for Wang being near burnout. That resulted in Yedidia instituting a rule to not wake Wang at night for bug fixes because he needed sleep.
Everdell also drilled Yedidia on his high level of compensation in his less than two years at FTX. His base salary was between $175,000 and $200,000, but he received multiple bonuses of more than $12 million in cash and company equity.
Yedidia said he’s now teaching math — geometry and algebra — at a high school. He invested most of the millions he earned as bonuses back into FTX, and his equity stake is now worthless.
As FTX was failing, Yedidia said he was by Bankman-Fried’s side. He highlighted a Signal exchange in November 2022, during which he wrote, “I love you Sam. I’m not going anywhere.” He said he wrote the message because so many people had left.
When asked what changed, Yedidia said he learned that FTX customer deposits had been used to pay loans to creditors. He said Alameda’s actions seemed “flagrantly wrong.”
Yedidia’s testimony ended on a fiery note, which was later struck from the record. He was asked why he had lost faith in FTX and resigned.
“FTX defrauded all its customers,” he said.
Matt Huang, co-founder of Paradigm Operations LP, right, arrives at court in New York, US, on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. Former FTX Co-Founder Sam Bankman-Fried is charged with seven counts of fraud and money laundering following the collapse of his cryptocurrency empire last year. Photographer: Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Investment to zero
The third witness to take the stand was Matt Huang, co-founder and managing partner of Paradigm, a crypto venture capital firm that invested over $275 million in FTX. That stake was wiped out.
Huang testified about his firm’s due diligence on FTX, and he told the court that Bankman-Fried assured him that funds would be used for FTX and not Alameda. Additionally, he was promised that Alameda had no preferential treatment on the FTX platform, even though the hedge fund was one of its top traders.
Huang said he was concerned about FTX’s lack of a board of directors, but he eventually invested anyway. During cross-examination, Huang said Paradigm pressed Bankman-Fried on the board issue and was told he didn’t want investors as directors but he did plan on having a board with experts.
— CNBC’s Dawn Giel contributed to this report.
Environment
Trump’s crypto-frenzied inauguration weekend makes first family billions of dollars richer
Snoop Dogg was the lead act at the first-ever Crypto Inaugural Ball held in Washington on Friday evening
MacKenzie Sigalos
As the crypto industry celebrates the arrival of a new administration in Washington, D.C., nobody is taking quicker advantage of the coming changes than the person leading the charge: President Donald J. Trump.
On Friday night, crypto A-listers rubbed elbows with political elites and members of Trump’s inner circle at the Crypto Ball, held at the opulent Mellon Auditorium, just down the street from the White House.
Meanwhile, Trump’s net worth was about to explode from an asset that, up to that point, didn’t exist. The same night of the party, the incoming president launched $TRUMP, a meme coin built on the Solana platform. Its market cap over the weekend climbed past $14 billion. Like with other meme coins, there’s no underlying product. Trump told his followers in a social media post, “It’s time to celebrate everything we stand for: WINNING!”
The website for $TRUMP says 80% of the coins are held by the Trump Organization and affiliates.
Inside the Crypto Ball were some of the leaders of the platforms allowing ordinary investors to buy into Trump’s newest project. They included Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Kraken co-founder Jesse Powell.
Trump wasn’t done after one token.
On Sunday came the introduction of $MELANIA, named after the first lady. The coin quickly spiked more than 40%, surpassing $2 billion in value. Both the Trump and Melania coins have dropped significantly from their highs.
Then there’s World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance project endorsed by the Trump family, which hiked its token price from 1.5 cents to 5 cents and released an additional 5 billion tokens for sale. The project, initially launched in September, has raised more than $300 million in total sales so far, according to blockchain firm Arkham Intelligence.
The Trump family gets 75% of World Liberty’s crypto coin revenue, according to the project’s founding document. On-chain data shows millions of dollars worth of token transfers to Coinbase’s institutional custody provider.
“We’re making routine movements of our crypto holdings as part of regular treasury management, payment of fees and expenses, and to address working capital requirements,” World Liberty said in a statement.
CNBC reached out to Donald and Melania Trump earlier Monday and didn’t receive a response.
‘Reign of terror’
In the period of 48 hours, the Trump family’s net worth surged by billions of dollars, based on holdings of its just-launched digital assets, underscoring the unregulated nature of cryptocurrencies and the president’s ability to use his fame, power and newfound partnership with the nascent industry to enrich himself, his family and his allies at the flip of a switch.
Broader market enthusiasm has been expressed in the price of bitcoin, which surged to an all-time high hours before the inauguration to nearly $110,000. Crypto industry leaders and investors emerged as some of Trump’s biggest supporters in the campaign in an effort to influence future policies and to ease the restrictive regulations imposed during the Biden administration. In July, Trump delivered the keynote at the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
Digital asset entrepreneurs, politicians, and members of Trump’s inner circle hit the red carpet at the first-ever Crypto Inaugural Ball in Washington on Friday.
MacKenzie Sigalos
“The reign of terror against crypto is over,” David Sacks, a prominent Silicon Valley investor and the new White House AI and crypto czar, told the packed D.C. ballroom on Friday night. His comments were met with applause that echoed beneath the Mellon Auditorium’s soaring columns.
Sacks, an earlier Trump critic who said the events of Jan. 6, 2021, had “disqualified” him from being a candidate at the national level, threw his weight behind Trump last year. He hosted a high-profile fundraiser at his San Francisco mansion in June and regularly promoted the Republican candidate on the popular “All-In” podcast.
“The beginning of innovation in America for crypto has just begun,” Sacks added on Friday.
On X, formerly Twitter, conversations were lighting up about the new $TRUMP coin. There was plenty of skepticism from those in and around the industry.
“Trump needs to fire his crypto advisors, from top to bottom and replace with people who know what they are doing,” wrote Gabor Gurbacs, founder of digital asset firm Pointsville, in a post on X. “The memecoins cost the US, the presidency and his family a lot of credibility and the consequences haven’t even started.”
Mark Cuban, the billionaire former tech entrepreneur and part owner of the Dallas Mavericks, commented on the apparent lawlessness of it all. Cuban, a longtime independent who became a vocal supporter of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, said the coins are particularly harmful to the crypto industry in its effort to prove its legitimacy.
“Hello every scam targeted at everyone and anyone who has no clue about crypto,” he wrote.
But at the pre-inauguration party, Trump’s new coin wasn’t much of a topic. Rather, the chatter centered on the broader implications of Trump’s policies, which promised to dismantle years of regulatory gridlock in the Biden administration.
“Two years ago, everyone thought crypto was dead,” said one attendee who asked not to be named in order to speak candidly on the topic. “A year ago, we were begging for help, and this weekend, we’re on top of the world.”
Crypto firms made substantial contributions to Trump’s inaugural fund, signaling their enthusiasm. Ripple donated $5 million in digital tokens, while Coinbase, Kraken, and Circle each gave $1 million. Online brokerage Robinhood contributed $2 million.
Inside the first-ever Crypto Ball at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington ahead of the Donald Trump Inauguration.
MacKenzie Sigalos
Coinbase and Kraken have both been battling the SEC in court. Robinhood received a Wells Notice in May related to its U.S. crypto business, which is typically one of the final steps before the SEC issues formal charges. Ripple has been in a years-long legal fight with SEC and outgoing Chairman Gary Gensler.
“The question now is, what do we do with this momentum?” said Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty, who attended the Friday night festivities. “How do we take that momentum and move forward to really create the promise that I think this new administration has of making the U.S. the crypto capital of the world?”
Alderoty wants to see a coalition formed to discuss unified policy priorities.
“Ultimately, Congress will own the policy, and we can’t dictate to Congress what the policy should be,” Alderoty said. “It would be great if, ahead of that, in the face of the most crypto-friendly Congress we’ve ever had, there could be some alignment on what the priorities are,” Alderoty said, noting that the industry has splintered in the past when proposals have been introduced.
Inside the Crypto Ball
There was a hefty dose of lawmaker support at the party, all from the Republican side of the aisle. House Speaker Mike Johnson was there, along with Senators Marsha Blackburn, Ted Cruz and Cynthia Lummis. Former House members French Hill and Patrick McHenry arrived to show their support.
Cleanspark CEO Zach Bradford, who has been meeting with Trump in private roundtables to discuss bitcoin mining, said he spoke with Howard Lutnick, Trump’s pick to be Secretary of Commerce, at the event.
“We talked about bitcoin mining and how bitcoin, but also bitcoin mining, can be a central point of commerce,” Bradford told CNBC.
Bradford said he emphasized to Lutnick the potential for bitcoin mining to be a significant economic driver.
“It’s a positive revenue generator from a net production perspective,” Bradford said. “But we’re also contributing significant tax revenues for the states where we operate.”
Bradford said Lutnick is “excited about it,” describing him as “somebody that gets bitcoin.”
Scott Bessent, likely to be the next Treasury secretary, made his way through the main floor of the ballroom and took photos with attendees.
Koh Harada, COO of Aleo, a privacy-focused blockchain, said Bessent was “pretty coy about things, but the fact that he was even there was very interesting.”
Aleo, which has raised over $200 million from investors including SoftBank and Andreessen Horowitz, chose to establish in the U.S. while many rivals opted to launch from offshore jurisdictions like the Cayman Islands as a shield from various regulations.
“We didn’t set up shop in the U.S. on a whim,” Harada said. In talking to a mix of legal and compliance experts, the company realized that “America is the best fertilizer for tech — period,” he said.
Aleo, which combines privacy-focused functionality with smart contract capabilities, has become a go-to resource for other startups looking to return to the U.S., Harada added. The company picked Wyoming, a state known for its crypto-friendly policies.
“Wyoming stood out as the most welcoming state for crypto,” Harada said. “They’ve created forward-thinking policies and are even establishing blockchain research centers at the University of Wyoming.”
It was the side conversations in the MAGA Inc. VIP Reception greenroom where the most significant exchanges of the evening unfolded.
MacKenzie Sigalos
Also in attendance on Friday was MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor, wearing his trademark orange bow tie, a nod to bitcoin’s iconic color. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and top execs at Coinbase, including global policy head Faryar Shirzad, mingled with guests.
The Winklevoss twins chatted in a group that included Chris Dixon of Andreessen Horowitz and his colleague, Sriram Krishnan, who recently left his role as a general partner at the firm to join Sacks’ task force. Bo Hines, Trump’s choice to lead the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, was also present. He’ll report directly to Sacks.
While Snoop Dogg performed in the main ballroom, venture capitalist Katie Haun was engrossed in conversation with Galaxy Digital’s Mike Novogratz. Other musical guests Rick Ross and Soulja Boy, who was charged by the SEC in 2023 for illegally promoting a crypto token without disclosing he was paid, kept the larger crowd entertained.
Guests were issued wristbands based on status. Black wristbands signified general admission and gold allowed entry to a VIP balcony. White bands granted the most exclusive perks. General admission cost $2,500, and some sponsors paid $1 million for access to the greenroom on the ground floor tucked behind the stage in the main ballroom.
Tightly guarded by security, Donald Trump Jr. donned custom MAGA buttons on his shirt as he swiftly made his way into the innermost chamber of the VIP section, a room barricaded by a rotating bouncer and only allowing in certain guests. Along with Sacks, and Speaker Johnson, he could be seen conversing with Fred Thiel, CEO of mining company MARA Holdings.
Thiel shared details of a blockchain initiative his company had launched earlier that day with Johnson, an effort designed to symbolize the intersection of crypto and politics.
“We minted a block on the blockchain with a portrait of President Trump, created entirely from transactions,” Thiel said.
Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, with Mara CEO Fred Thiel. Johnson seen texting President Donald Trump a photo of the Trump47 bitcoin block minted by Mara earlier that day.
Fred Thiel
The so-called Trump47 block embedded Trump’s headshot into the Bitcoin blockchain, creating a lasting digital tribute to the president.
“We released it Friday morning, and it went viral,” Thiel said. He added that Johnson “was so impressed” that he texted Trump a picture of it.
Tracy Hoyos-López, a former California prosecutor and one of the people credited with turning Trump pro-bitcoin, was also at the event.
“Don’t mess with crypto,” Hoyos-López, who helped to plan the evening’s celebration, told CNBC while Snoop Dogg was performing his live set. “Our event is a symbol of who we are in the world.”
WATCH: Bitcoin surges past $100,000
Environment
Hyundai launches new Creta Electric SUV in India, starting at just $20,000: Meet the new EV
Hyundai officially launched its newest electric vehicle, the Creta Electric, in India. It starts at just over $20,000 and has a range of nearly 300 miles. The Creta EV is Hyundai’s first electric SUV made in the country. Here’s a look at the new model.
Hyundai reveals Creta EV prices start at $20,000
Since it hit the market in 2015, the Hyundai Creta has been a massive success for the company in India. The SUV led Hyundai India to another record sales year, with 186,919 models sold in 2024.
Hyundai sold a record 605,433 vehicles in India last year, up from 602,111 in 2023. Including exports, Hyundai India sold 764,119 vehicles in 2024.
“Achieving highest ever domestic sales three years in a row, reflects customers’ preference for brand Hyundai as their trusted smart mobility solutions provider,” Hyundai India’s COO, Mr Tarun Garg, said earlier this month.
The Creta was the company’s main growth driver, accounting for over 30% of sales. With its highest yearly sales since launching, “CRETA continued to strengthen HMIL’s position as an SUV leader, helping HMIL accomplish its highest-ever domestic SUV contribution of 67.6% in CY 2024,” he added.
Now, Hyundai’s top-selling SUV in India is going electric. Earlier this month, Hyundai unveiled the electric SUV for the first time. On Friday, at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo, Hyundai launched the Creta EV, which starts at just Rs 17.99 Lakh, or just over $20,000.
It’s available in four trims: Executive, Smart, Premium, and Excellence. The most expensive Excellence trim starts at Rs 23.50 lakh, or about $27,200. In comparison, the gas-powered SUV starts at around $12,800 (Rs 10.99 LAkh).
Buyers can choose from two battery packs, 42 kWh and 51.4 kWh, offering a driving range of 390 km (242 miles) and 473 km (294 miles) in India.
Hyundai is confident that the Creta EV “will further expand the appeal of this Undisputed, Ultimate SUV,” Mr Tarun Garg said.
Hyundai plans to launch five new EVs in India by 2030, including the new Creta. To meet the growing demand in the region, it’s also planning to launch three-wheel electric cars.
Although Hyundai is not launching the Creta EV in the US, the company is introducing a series of new and upgraded electric models this year. The 2025 IONIQ 5 now features more driving range and comes with an NACS port for charging at Tesla Superchargers. Meanwhile, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, the EV9, will arrive shortly.
Would you buy the Hyundai Creta EV for around $20,000? Let us know in the comments below.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports10 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway