Former FTX CEO Sam Benkman-Fried, co-founder Gary Wang, and director of engineering Nishad Singh are reported to be in the Bahamas “under government surveillance” as of November 13, 2022 (Nassau).
According to a source familiar with the situation, the three former FTX executives and Alameda Research CEO Carolyn Ellison are looking for ways to flee to Dubai because the country has “no extradition treaty,” likely referring to extradition agreements with Dubai. . United States.
Sam Benkman, Gary and Nishad are currently being cared for in the Bahamas. This insider, who asked not to be named, added: So it will be challenging for them to leave.
I recently learned that they were planning to travel to Dubai, which does not have an extradition agreement.
The Crypto Roundtable Show host, Mario Knofel, raised a related hypothesis during a 16-hour Twitter room where a guest speaker claimed that “reliable sources” put Bankman-Fried “in a closed space” with law enforcement. They have seen in Albania. The Tower, a luxury resort in New Providence, Bahamas.
It is reported that Sam Benkman-Fried refuses to flee to Argentina
As the story of the demise of his defunct cryptocurrency exchange spread on Twitter almost in real time, FTX founder Sam Benkman-Fried denied rumors that he had fled to Argentina.
When asked by Reuters if she had traveled to Argentina by plane, Benkman-Fried texted back: “No.” He said he was still in the Bahamas, where he had moved permanently the previous year.
Authorities are closing in on Bankman-Fried and his defunct cryptocurrency firm, which has fueled speculation about the whereabouts of SBF (the name given to the former CEO of FTX).
Sam Bankman-Fried said via Twitter on Thursday that he is closing his trading firm, Alameda Research, and on Friday, FTX, the digital asset exchange he launched in 2019, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States. Sam Benkman-Fried resigned as CEO on the same day.
A day before bankruptcy protection, global exchange FTX had $9 billion in liabilities and $900 million in “easy-to-sell assets,” according to the Financial Times.
$600 million FTX wallet cracked
The disgraced founder of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX has denied rumors that $600 million from its digital wallet went to South America at the same time it was hacked.
Company representatives said “unauthorized transactions” had occurred on FTX, and CoinDesk reported that $600 million was mysteriously withdrawn from the exchange’s wallet. This business claimed that it was hacked by publishing a statement through its official Telegram account.
Around the same time, there were rumors that Mr. Sam Benkman-Fried’s private jet was on his way to Argentina from his home in the Bahamas, a claim he denied to Reuters.
Ryan Miller, US general counsel for FTX, revealed on Saturday that the company had discovered “unauthorized transactions” on Friday evening.
An administrator wrote that FTX is compromised. FTX programs contain viruses. Take them out. The chat window is open. Do not visit the FTX website as it can download Trojans. After their money was stolen, some consumers claim to have a $0 balance. To prevent further thefts, FTX claimed to have moved all digital assets to a cold storage or offline location.
Many people hypothesized that the complexity of the hack indicated a potential inside job, while others noted that the timing was odd since it happened on the same day the exchange went down.
The founder of Crypto Exchange FTX speaks out in the midst of the crisis
A few days after the bankruptcy of the FTX exchange, Sam Benkman-Fried, the founder of the company, addressed his followers in a series of tweets.
Mr. Bankman-Fried wrote, hoping that things could find a way to improve: “Again, I’m really sorry we got to this point. I hope things can find a way to improve. Hopefully this can bring them some transparency, trust and governance. Ultimately, we hope it can be better for customers.”
He added: The current situation does not mean the end of the company. This does not necessarily mean the end of companies or their ability to provide value and capital to their customers and can be compatible with other paths.
On how he plans to provide clarity, he added: “I will work as soon as possible on clarifying where the situation is in terms of user recovery.”