Kaplan has temporarily barred the 30-year-old former billionaire from contacting current or former employees at his exchange and Alameda Research hedge fund. The judge on Tuesday extended that ban by three days, to Feb. 24. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to eight criminal charges including wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy, carrying a maximum 115-year prison sentence. Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried cheated customers and improperly diverted assets, causing billions of dollars in losses. FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November. Defense lawyers and prosecutors have been negotiating Bankman-Fried's electronics use pending his scheduled October trial. In a Monday night filing, prosecutors said Bankman-Fried used a VPN to access the internet on Jan. 29 and Feb. 12.
"As defense counsel has pointed out, and the government does not dispute, many individuals use a VPN for benign purposes," but there remain "several potential concerns," prosecutor Danielle Sassoon wrote. "For instance, it is well known that some individuals use VPNs to disguise the fact that they are accessing international cryptocurrency exchanges that use IPs to block U.S. users," she added. Defense lawyers responded that Bankman-Fried used a VPN to watch National Football League playoff games on Jan. 29 and the Super Bowl on Feb. 12. They also pledged he would not use a VPN "in the interim." <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ EXPLAINER-How did Bankman-Fried secure $250 mln bail? EXPLAINER-Sam Bankman-Fried: Who is FTX's founder and why was he arrested? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru, and Jonathan Stempel in New York Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Matthew Lewis)
