Nina Thompson
The suggestion states that Sam Bankman-Fried must use a flip phone or some other form of non-smartphone which does not have access to the internet.
The U.S. Department of Justice has put forward new bail regulations for former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) as indicated in a court document from March 3.
Lewis Kaplan, the U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, has been presented with a proposal to bar Bankman-Fried from utilizing smartphones, tablets, computers, or any kind of video game systems with options for talking and messaging. The proposal puts forth that the only allowed means of communication should be a "flip phone or other non-smartphone device with no internet abilities, or internet abilities disabled."
Damian Williams, acting as the attorney for the parties involved, is asking that the recently enforced temporary bail conditions become permanent. On March 3, SBF's defense team was requested to present their proposed plan, which is thought to have been negotiated with the defense.
The agreement stipulates there should be no communication with any present or former workers of FTX or Alameda Research, unless accompanied by an attorney. It also bans the usage of encrypted or fleeting messaging services, and VPNs.
Bankman-Fried will be limited to browsing only approved webpages, including those belonging to YouTube, Wikipedia, Etherscan, NFL, DoorDash, Netflix, and various government sites. On top of this, the ex-FTX CEO may still have the possibility to read news websites.
In addition to the suggestion of having security software to record the defendant's online activities, the proposal includes the permission for the court to place "pen registers" on the defendant's phone, Gmail account and internet service, with the Government responsible for maintaining them.
The $250 million bail posted by Bankman-Fried has been repeatedly questioned since the 9th of February, when it was discovered he was communicating with possible witnesses concerning his criminal case. Additionally, he was temporarily forbidden from using a VPN as prosecutors suspected he had used it twice, once on the 29th of January, and then again on the 12th of February.
The court made public a new indictment against Bankman-Fried on the 22nd of February with twelve charges, eight of which were conspiracy offences related to swindling, and four to do with wire and stock fraud.