Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of FTX, has recently requested a modification to his bail conditions in a letter to New York District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan. The letter states that SBF wants his “close friends” to be able to visit him at his parents’ home without having to go through the court-ordered security measures currently in place.
The security measures outlined in SBF’s bail conditions require a security guard to be present at the house to screen visitors for electronic devices, as well as having visitors sign an electronic visitor log. At present, only Bankman-Fried’s lawyers and employees of his contracted law firm are exempt from these checks. However, the defense team has requested that the measures be extended to visitors who have been “pre-approved” by the court.
The list of visitors, which was reviewed by prosecutors without objections, consists of “close friends and colleagues of Mr. Bankman-Fried’s parents and household help that regularly visit the house,” as mentioned in the letter. The defense team filed the list under seal, arguing that the privacy and safety of the individuals on the list outweigh any presumption of public access to it.
SBF restrictions
As part of his current bail conditions set by Judge Kaplan, SBF is allowed limited use of a laptop that can only access court-approved sites, including selected news sites and YouTube. He also possesses a phone that has no internet access and can only be used for calls and texts. The defense team assures that those on the visitor list are aware of Bankman-Fried’s bail conditions, including the prohibition on sharing electronic devices with him.
Bankman-Fried has been residing at his parents’ house in Palo Alto, California since being granted bail in December 2022. The same house was put up as collateral for his substantial $250 million bail bond.
A trial for the 13 charges leveled against Bankman-Fried was initially scheduled to commence on October 2, but five of the charges have been split into a separate trial set to begin on March 11, 2024.
