Crypto Billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried’s NYC Network: A Trial Revelation

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In the months before FTX’s collapse and eventual arrest, Sam Bankman-Fried held several personal meetings with New York’s leading political and financial power players. Even one event was held at the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams’ preferred late-night venue.

How Did These Info Get Revealed?

Special Agent Richard Busick led the jury through a series of meetings on Tuesday.

According to the FBI agent specializing in examining and analyzing phone data, his testimony during Bankman-Fried’s trial revealed that the former crypto billionaire frequently visited the Big Apple in 2022 despite residing in the Bahamas.  This portion of his testimony was probably included to emphasize how the alleged crimes of Bankman-Fried transpired in New York City. 

It suggests that Bankman-Fried’s fraudulent activities were not limited to the Bahamas but directly impacted New York City’s financial landscape. His frequent meetings with influential individuals raise concerns about potential collaboration or manipulation within the city’s financial circles. This information adds weight to the prosecution’s case against him and strengthens the argument for his guilt in the eyes of the jury.

SBF Meeting With Influential People From Saudi

Reports show that Bankman-Fried might have been scheduled to meet with Saudi Arabia’s finance minister, Khalid A. Al-Falih, or the head of its sovereign wealth fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, at one point and then show up for a 15-minute photo session with Forbes in midtown Manhattan at another. 

He delegated all scheduling to Natalie Tien, his assistant, whose description of dealing with the frazzled CEO served as the inspiration for the introductory part of Michael Lewis’ currently most talked-about-book “Going Infinite”, about bringing out SBF’s real story.

Also Read: Things SBF was freaking out about

SBF Meeting Eric Adams 

Bankman-Fried and Mayor Adams dined together in March 2022 at Osteria La Baia, an Italian restaurant near the Museum of Modern Art run by Hizzoner’s friends and serves as the mayor’s informal after-hours workspace. 

The “Hold for Mayor” meeting is listed on the mayor’s public calendar for March 3, 2022, at 8:30 p.m. ET, although it does not specify who he met with. 

Adams is a well-known crypto enthusiast. His first salary as mayor was paid in ether and bitcoin. Although he was paid in dollars, the funds were promptly changed to bitcoin and ether. He has proposed turning the city into a center of cryptocurrency.

SBF Scheduled To Meet With Governor Kathy Hochul

Bankman-Fried was scheduled to meet New York Governor Kathy Hochul in September 2022 at The Capital Grille restaurant, an unusual meeting location for the self-proclaimed vegan.

The emails that the prosecutors chose demonstrated how in-demand Bankman-Fried was before things went south. The investment community eagerly sought after the crypto-wunderkind, and 32 different firms made requests to attend a dinner, including George Soros and Morgan Stanley.