Prosecutors in the financial fraud case against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) are trying to convince a judge to limit his use of electronic devices SBF purchased before his arrest. It has been revealed that he was using a virtual private network (VPN) to watch the Super Bowl through an international distribution service. However, prosecutors are skeptical, arguing that VPNs are commonly used to access international crypto exchanges that are blocked in the United States.
Prosecutors express concern about the former FTX CEO’s use of VPNs, and SBF attorneys argue that the VPN use was for a harmless purpose
Judge Lewis Kaplan is considering whether disgraced FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) should be allowed to use electronic devices and the Internet. Judge Kaplan told the court, “There is a solution, but one that no one has proposed yet.” The judge is considering changing SBF’s bail conditions because of prosecutors’ complaints about SBF’s use of a VPN. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Department of Justice (DOJ),said the government learned that SBF used a VPN to access the web on January 29 and February 12, 2023.
Williams noted that VPNs have a legitimate purpose, but the complaint also alleged that VPNs are commonly used to access international crypto exchanges.” Some individuals use VPNs to hide the fact that they are accessing international cryptocurrency exchanges that use IPs to block U.S. users,” the government’s complaint stressed. However, Mark Cohen, SBF’s attorney who represented Ghislaine Maxwell during the sex trafficking trial, stated that SBF used the VPN to watch soccer.
“Our client used a VPN to access an NFL Game Pass international subscription that he had previously purchased while residing in the Bahamas and was able to watch NFL playoff games.” SBF attorneys Christian Everdell and Mark Cohenexplainedto the judge.” On January 29, 2023, he watched the AFC and NFC championship games; on February 12, he watched the Super Bowl. The use of this VPN is not related to any of the concerns raised by the government in its letter.”
The prosecution has already alleged that SBF was attempting to communicate with former staff members of Alameda Research and FTX. Courts have prohibited SBF from using end-to-end encrypted messaging services such as Signal. Eberdell and Cohen have stated that SBF will not use VPNs during this time until their lawyers are prepared to adopt reasonable bail conditions that address any concerns the government or the court may have regarding the use of VPNs.
Image credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
