Three males slammed their vehicle into a metal barricade outside Sam Bankman-(SBF) Fried’s parents’ property in California, according to his lawyers.
The family of FTX’s former CEO reportedly admitted to facing “extreme media attention, harassment,” and even physical threats.
The massive FTX meltdown resulted in multi-billion dollar investment losses, making SBF one of the most infamous individuals in the cryptocurrency sector. The 30-year-old was charged by US officials of being the principal culprit behind the collapse, committing many crimes including money laundering and fraud.
The wave of condemnation quickly spread among affected investors, many of whom blamed him for the disaster.
His attorneys just stated that three people rammed their automobile into his current home’s barricade and told a security officer:
“You won’t be able to keep us out.”
They then got back in their car and drove away without being noticed. The worker monitoring the Palo Alto property was unable to record the licence plate of the car.
The incident occurred roughly a month after a federal judge in New York granted SBF a record $250 million bond to live at his parents’ property. Prior to that, he spent a week in the Bahamas’ Fox Hill Prison, while his trial on October 2, 2023, will establish whether he played a role in the demise of FTX and his final punishment.
His mother, Barbara Fried, and father, Joseph Bankman, have received “a regular stream of threatening messages, including communications expressing a desire that they suffer physical harm,” according to his lawyers.
The $250 million bond that allowed SBF to await his trial in his parents’ home aroused considerable debate in the cryptocurrency world. As a result, significant media sources such as Bloomberg, CNBC, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, and others sought the judge in charge of the case to divulge the names of those who permitted it.
SBF’s lawyers declined to comment on the request, stating that if those sureties’ identities became public, they would face comparable harassment as Ms. Fried and Mr. Bankman:
“Given the notoriety of this case and the extraordinary media attention it is receiving, it is reasonable to assume that the non-parent sureties will face significant privacy and safety concerns if their identities are disclosed.”
Prosecutors have yet to take any action in response to the media outlets’ petition.
