Sam Bankman-Fried told a court in the Bahamas that he would agree to extradite to the United States, a move that could lead to the FTX founder arriving in New York as soon as Wednesday to face charges. about the crypto exchange crashing.
Bankman-fried arrived at the Nassau courthouse around 11 a.m. local time on Wednesday under heavy police guard. He signed preliminary documents to clear the way for him to return home Tuesday night, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The hearing ended about 40 minutes after Bankman-Fried’s defense lawyer told the court he was “very anxious to leave” the Caribbean nation, Reuters reported.
US Department of Justice last week allegation filed against Bankman-Fried and accused him of orchestrating “one of the biggest financial fraud in American history” by embezzling client assets from FTX for his private trading firm Alameda Research. He was arrested last week in the Bahamas, where he lives.
Bahamas judge Shaka Serville will contact the country’s foreign minister to sign the extradition order, local television reported on Wednesday.
US embassy officials entered the courthouse in Nassau just in front of Bankman-Fried, according to Reuters. Agents from the FBI and the US Marshals Service also arrived on the island, the news agency reported.
Under US law, Bankman-Fried must be brought before a judge in Manhattan within two days of landing in New York, for the first hearing in which the charges against him will be read out. .
A decision will also be made on whether or not to grant FTX sponsor until the trial begins and, if so, under what conditions. The former billionaire’s request to be released on bail in the Bahamas last week was denied by a local judge.
If he arrives in New York after the trial, Bankman-Fried will likely be held overnight in the court complex. If he is denied bail, Bankman-Fried will then be transferred to a pre-trial facility, such as the infamous Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is being held. kept during trial.
since he arrest In the Bahamas last week, Bankman-Fried was held at a Nassau prison known for its harsh conditions.
