Reports are saying that Bankman is likely to be placed on suicide watch
Bankman-Fried was supposed to testify before the U.S. Congress. But then he pushed it back citing that he had other commitments. Soon after that, he got arrested. Yet another coincidence. Some people think he’s going to be Epsteined, and that’s not a far-fetched idea. Bankman-Fried used his immense financial clout to funnel money to both political parties and influence nationwide elections. In other words, many American politicians owe their careers to a guy who is possibly one of the biggest financial criminals of this era. That wouldn’t look very good for their future prospects in office. A full-fledged Bankman testimony at any point would be very bad optics for the people who have been complicit in his scheme.
Moreover, the Fried Bankman hasn't been a very happy camper lately since he has had to sit in a notoriously unsanitary Bahamian prison while he awaits the next phase of his ordeal. Bankman has been complaining that he can't maintain his vegan diet nor can he keep up with his depression medication while he is behind bars. The former "King of Crypto" appears to be at the end of his rope, so to speak. I estimate that the probability that he gets Epsteined is somewhere between 50-70% at this point. Just a rough guess.
Once worth an eye-popping $26.5 billion at the height of his chicanery, Bankman-Fried is allegedly only sitting on $100,000 now. But all is not lost for the Fried Bankman because he appears to have lots of useful and powerful connections. I’m sure that it's just a coincidence though. Bankman has procured the counsel of Mark S. Cohen, the same lawyer who represented sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and helped her to get a sweetheart deal of 20 years despite the gargantuan scale of crimes that she was involved in. Furthermore, both of his parents are high-powered and wealthy Stanford law professors in California. His father in particular is stepping away from his job to support Sam’s impending legal battles. Isn’t that nice? Maybe he will be exonerated. Imagine this headline: Bankman-Freed!
And let’s not forget about Bankman’s alleged ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison, the CEO of Alameda (Bankman-Fried’s other fraudulent company) because she is almost as culpable as he is. She has not yet been arrested, but just like Sam, she has very useful and powerful connections. I’m sure that’s also just a big coincidence. Ellison has been able to obtain the services of Stephanie Avakian, the ex-director of the SEC’s enforcement division. Hmm. I’m sure that’s going to help a lot in a financial crime case. She has also been able to secure the legal expertise of Anjan Sahni, a man who was involved in the investigation of the infamous Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. It should also be noted that her father Glenn Ellison helped Gary Gensler, the current head of the SEC, land a job at MIT earlier in his career. For some reason, I predict that Caroline Ellison will be able to avoid major penalties. But if SBF was arrested then she should at least be arrested too...
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