Federal judge overseeing criminal case against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) proposed an order that would largely prevent all parties involved and their lawyers from contacting the media.
In a July 24 letter filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Lewis Kaplan proposed a draft order that prohibits anyone directly involved in the case or acting on their behalf from “publicly disseminating or discussing” information not deemed admissible in court or “intended to influence public opinion.” Bankman-Fried is already banned from using messaging apps, virtual private networks and other technology as part of the terms of her $250 million bail.
The proposed order followed a complaint filed by the US Department of Justice On July 20, he accused the former CEO of FTX leaked the private journals of former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison for The New York Times. On July 23, lawyers for Bankman-Fried said in a court filing that “nothing improper or impermissible occurred.”
As it stands, the proposed order added that SBF would be personally prohibited from using “surrogates, family members, spokespeople, representatives or volunteers” to make statements on its behalf. However, it would not be prohibited to speak to the media about information already available in public court filings or proceedings, or about claims of innocence.
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Ellison, SBF’s former business partner and romantic partner, is said to be testifying in his first criminal trial, which is set to begin on October 2. In December 2022 admitted to the charge including scams related to the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Lawyers representing SBF asked Judge Kaplan expand any media gag order include potential witnesses in the criminal case, including current FTX CEO John Ray. The July 24 order does not appear to apply to witnesses. Since FTX filed for bankruptcy in November 2022, Ray often spoke to various media on various topics related to the exchange.
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