DOJ Not Seeking Trial Against Sam Bankman-Fried for FCPA Charge

DOJ will not seek a second trial against embattled former FTX chief Sam Bankman-Fried related to charges he conspired to bribe foreign officials in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. In a Dec. 29 letter to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said proceeding with the sentencing, and avoiding a delay that a second trial would cause, "would advance the public's interest in a timely and just resolution of the case" (U.S. v. Samuel Bankman-Fried, S.D.N.Y. # 22-00673).

The victims have a special interest in a just resolution of the case because the sentencing, scheduled for March, "will likely include orders of forfeiture and restitution for the victims of the defendant’s crimes," the letter said. Bankman-Fried was found guilty of seven charges pertaining to wire fraud and money laundering in early December.

Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to the FCPA charge in March (see 2303300061). The government alleged that the former FTX head paid around $40 million in cryptocurrency to one or more Chinese government officials to "induce them" to unfreeze certain cryptocurrency trading accounts held by his hedge fund, Alameda Research.