Bankman-Fried, 31, had earlier pleaded not guilty to eight counts of fraud and conspiracy for allegedly stealing billions in FTX customer funds to plug losses at his hedge fund, Alameda Research. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters he also plans to plead not guilty to the new 13-count indictment.
The new charges add to the pressure on Bankman-Fried, who faces a possible sentence of decades in prison if convicted at a trial set to start on Oct. 2.
He was arrested in December, after a flurry of customer withdrawals spurred by concerns about commingling of funds between the exchange and Alameda prompted the collapse of now-bankrupt FTX. The initial indictment by the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan contained few details about the alleged scheme. In an unusual post-arrest blog post, the former billionaire acknowledged inadequate risk management at FTX, but said he did not steal funds.
Prosecutors in late February filed a new 12-count indictment elaborating on the fraud charges and accusing Bankman-Fried of illicitly contributing tens of millions of dollars to U.S. political campaigns through straw donors, part of a strategy to buy influence in Washington.
And on Tuesday, prosecutors moved to unseal yet another indictment, which accused Bankman-Fried of conspiring to violate an anti-bribery law by orchestrating a $40 million payment to Chinese authorities to regain access to $1 billion in cryptocurrency in Alameda accounts that had been frozen.
Three former members of Bankman-Fried's inner circle - former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison, former FTX technology chief Zixao "Gary" Wang, and former FTX engineering director Nishad Singh - have all pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Bankman-Fried is confined to his parents' Palo Alto,
California, home on $250 million bond pending trial. Earlier
this week, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan approved
modifications to Bankman-Fried's bail package that are designed
to prevent the defendant from tampering with witnesses.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
U.S. charges FTX's Bankman-Fried with paying $40 mln Chinese
bribe Bankman-Fried faces more criminal charges, allegedly hid
political donations 'I didn't steal funds,' Sam Bankman-Fried says in unusual
post-arrest blog post Sam Bankman-Fried pleads not guilty in FTX fraud case; October
trial set FTX founder Bankman-Fried in custody after fraud charges, bail
denied Former FTX CEO Bankman-Fried arrested in Bahamas after U.S.
files charges FTX's Singh pleads guilty as pressure mounts on Bankman-Fried Two Bankman-Fried associates plead guilty to fraud as FTX
founder heads to U.S. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder
and Daniel Wallis)
