US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Damian Williams and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are requesting “proposed modifications” to the bail conditions of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. The SDNY prosecutor is asking the court to bar Bankman-Fried from using a smartphone with an Internet connection. Instead, the disgraced FTX co-founder would receive a government-issued flip phone with internet capabilities disabled.
Bankman-Fried can get a foldable phone with tethers
On March 3, 2023, the DOJ and SDNY attorney Damian Williams filed a order with Judge Lewis Kaplan to modify the bail conditions of Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), former CEO of FTX. Prosecutors seek to restrict SBF’s internet access through various devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers, and gaming devices that allow for chat and voice communication. The proposed restriction would prohibit SBF from using any internet-enabled smart device.
The government also wants the temporary measures added to SBF’s bail conditions to be fully adopted. These measures include not communicating with any FTX or Alameda Research employee without an attorney present, not using encrypted messengers like Signal, and prohibiting the use of a VPN. SBF would receive a government-issued flip phone with a DOJ-controlled serial number, IMEI number, IMSI number, MAC address, and SIM number. The foldable phone would allow SMS text messages and voice calls.
“Regarding the use of Respondent’s computer, the parties propose that Respondent’s new laptop be configured so that it can only log on to the Internet using specific VPNs, and that VPNs only allow Respondent to access websites that they have been whitelisted via VPNs,” details the court filing filed by SDNY’s attorney. “Specifically, an authorized VPN installed on the laptop would allow the defendant to access the cloud-hosted FTX read-only database that was provided as part of the discovery.”
In addition, federal prosecutors want to install monitoring software on the SBF’s computer to record the activity. If Kaplan approves, SBF would have to hand over his electronic devices for investigation by pretrial services. The former CEO of FTX would also be barred from buying new cell phones, tablets, computers or other electronic devices that can connect to the Internet. Prior to the DOJ request, SBF was known to play video games online, use Twitter and recently created a Substack blog to explain their side of the story.
What do you think of the government’s proposed restrictions on Sam Bankman-Fried’s Internet access and use of electronic devices? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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