FTX news: after an unauthorized video interview with Tucker Carlson from the Brooklyn prison, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) was transferred to the federal transit center in Oklahoma City.
The incident adds tension to one of the most controversial scandals in the crypto world.
An unexpected prison transfer, a case still open in the FTX case of SBF
Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of FTX and a central figure in one of the most sensational scandals in the history of cryptocurrencies, was transferred in recent days to the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, a transit facility of the U.S. prison system.
The transfer took place shortly after an unauthorized video interview with the conservative host Tucker Carlson, recorded at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.
The confirmation of the news comes from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which has not provided details on the final destination.
The former entrepreneur had been incarcerated in Brooklyn awaiting final assignment to a prison where he would serve the sentence of 24 years and 3 months for fraud, money laundering, and other crimes related to the collapse of FTX and Alameda Research.
The controversial interview with Carlson, released at the beginning of March, saw Bankman-Fried state:
“I don’t think I’m a criminal. I think the DOJ believes I am, but I don’t care.”
According to the former CEO, FTX would be solvent today, with a potential asset of 100 billion dollars against 15 billion in liabilities. Statements that have sparked mixed reactions, especially among the thousands of damaged investors.
The interview had an immediate effect on his team.
Mark Botnick, spokesperson and crisis communication manager for SBF since the collapse of the exchange, has resigned after learning of the non-approval of the interview by the prison authorities.
The Federal Transfer Center: a stop towards a definitive prison
The Oklahoma City facility is part of the “Con Air” circuit, used for internal transfers within the federal prison system. According to sources close to the case, Bankman-Fried was woken up at 3 a.m. without any prior notice and transferred by plane.
The most likely final destination is a low-security prison in California, near the home of his parents close to Stanford University, as recommended by Judge Lewis Kaplan at the end of the trial.
In any case, the interview with Carlson is not an isolated episode. Already in February, Bankman-Fried had spoken with the New York Sun, indicating a shift towards more conservative political positions and criticizing the political use of justice.
According to some observers, these public interventions would be part of a strategy orchestrated by the family to obtain clemency, perhaps in view of a wave of presidential pardons.
But the chances of success appear remote. The FTX case has had a devastating impact on trust in crypto and such media visibility that it makes any leniency difficult without raising public protests.
The meaning for the crypto sector
Beyond the judicial news, the SBF case continues to represent a turning point for the entire crypto ecosystem.
After the boom of 2021, the collapse of FTX has turned the spotlight on structural shortcomings, opaque management, and lack of controls in many entities within the sector.
The global regulatory authorities are still today taking example from the “FTX case” to propose new standards of supervision, transparency, and investor protection.
“The trial of SBF is not just the end of a personal journey, but the beginning of an era of mandatory maturation for the world of cryptocurrencies.”