BlocksInform
A wide range of large media groups have sued to reveal the identity of the two non-proprietary parties that co-signed Sam Bankman-fried's $250 million bond.
After the collapse of the crypto ftx exchange, bankman-fried was arrested in the Bahamas and subsequently extradited to the United States to face a number of federal prosecutors' charges. A U.S. judge in late December released Bankman-Fried on $250 million bail backed by his parents and two other parties whom his lawyers requested remain anonymous, citing privacy and safety concerns.
“The public’s interest in this matter cannot be overstated,” said one filing made Thursday to Judge Lewis Kaplan in the Southern District of New York on behalf of the Associated Press, Bloomberg, Financial Times, CNBC, Reuters, Dow Jones (publisher of the Wall Street Journal) and Washington Post, among others. "Mr. Bankman-Fried is charged with committing one of the greatest financial frauds in history."
"Any purported interest in keeping these names secret or private is outweighed by the tremendous public interest in the identities of these individuals,” said a separate legal filing made on behalf of CoinDesk. "the public has a clear and strong interest in the identity of these allies," the depository said. "The risk of illegitimacy and public outrage cannot be assessed without knowing who the guarantors of bankman-fried are."
The New York Times also made a separate filing on the same issue Wednesday.
Bankman-Fried’s lawyers have cited physical threats as reasons for keeping the details secret. He pleaded not guilty to accusations of computer fraud and money laundering, and was granted bail. 22.
