Federal Prosecutors Probe Democrats Over Donations From Sam Bankman-Fried
Several members of the U.S. Democratic Party and campaign committees are reportedly being probed by federal prosecutors over donations from former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) and another executive of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange. “To any person, entity, or political campaign that has received stolen customer money, we ask that you work with us to return that money to the innocent victims,” said a U.S. district attorney following the arrest of Bankman-Fried. Federal Prosecutors Investigate Sam Bankman-Fried’s Political Donations
The United States District Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has reportedly begun an investigation into illegal campaign contributions from Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) and two other former FTX executives.
Following Bankman-Fried’s arrest in the Bahamas last week, the District Attorney’s Office sent an email to a few Democratic political organizations, including the party’s official campaign offices, a few of its major PACs, and the individual campaigns of some politicians, including Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
The email asks for any information about donations from SBF, his colleagues, and companies, the New York Times reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the request. Referring to the FTX case as “the biggest campaign finance scandals in years,” the publication noted that the Justice Department’s inquiries “appear to be an effort to gather evidence against Mr. Bankman-Fried and other former FTX executives, rather than against their political beneficiaries.”
In a press conference announcing the indictment of Bankman-Fried Tuesday, U.S. District Attorney Damian Williams requested: To any person, entity or political campaign that has received stolen customer money, we ask that you work with us to return that money to the innocent victims.
One of the official charges federal prosecutors unveiled last week after SBF’s arrest was conspiring to violate campaign finance laws. The former FTX CEO was 2020’s second-largest campaign donor, contributing nearly $45 million, mostly to Democratic campaigns and committees, the publication conveyed. In an interview before his arrest, Bankman-Fried claimed that he made dark donations of a similar amount to the Republicans. Tesla CEO and Twitter boss Elon Musk believes that the former FTX boss donated over $1 billion to Democrats.
Federal Election Commission regulations require donations to be returned if they are later determined to be illegal, even if the funds have already been spent and new money needs to be raised.
Nishad Singh, another former FTX executive, also donated nearly $9.7 million, mostly to Democratic candidates and groups, the news outlet noted. Prosecutors are also reportedly investigating donations to Republican campaigns and committees by Ryan Salame, another former FTX executive, who gave $24 million, primarily to Republican candidates and committees.
Karl J. Sandstrom, a former Federal Election Committee member and current Democrat campaign advisor, told the publication that the FTX case has the potential to be: The largest corporate conduit case we have had.
FTX filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11 and an estimated one million customers and investors have lost billions of dollars in the collapse. The U.S. government and regulators have brought several fraud charges against the crypto firm and Bankman-Fried. The former FTX chief has been arrested and is now in prison in the Bahamas; he is expected to agree to extradition to the U.S. this week. Tags in this story Sam Bankman-Fried, Sam Bankman-Fried democratic donations, Sam Bankman-Fried democrats, Sam Bankman-Fried donations, Sam Bankman-Fried political donations, Sam Bankman-Fried republicans, SBF democratic donations, SBF donations, SBF republican donations
What do you think about the federal prosecutors’ probe into political campaign donations by Sam Bankman-Fried and other former FTX executives? Let us know in the comments section below. Kevin Helms
A student of Austrian Economics, Kevin found Bitcoin in 2011 and has been an evangelist ever since. His interests lie in Bitcoin security, open-source systems, network effects and the intersection between economics and cryptography. Government Agencies Need Crypto Wallets and Access to Exchanges, Russian Prosecutors Say REGULATION | 1 hour ago SEC Chairman Says Important to Regulate Crypto Issuers and Intermediaries REGULATION | 3 hours ago
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons Previous articleNew FTX CEO Told Members of Congress SBF’s Family ‘Certainly Received Payments’ From the Business Next articleShark Tank Star Kevin O’Leary Defends Support of Crypto Exchange FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Read disclaimerShow comments More Popular NewsIn Case You Missed ItNFT Sales Volume Saw a Small Uptick This Week — Moonbirds, Mutant Apes Take Top Sales
Non-fungible token (NFT) sales saw a small uptick over the last week as $658.4 million in NFT sales were recorded, up 3.35% in seven days. Out of 15 blockchains, Polygon-based NFT sales saw the largest increase in volume, jumping 106.68% ... read more.Australia to List Bitcoin ETF After 4 Clearinghouse Participants Commit to Meet Stringent Margin Terms FBI Issues Alert Concerning Malicious State-Sponsored North Korean Hackers Targeting Crypto Firms Digital Ruble ‘Much Needed,’ Russia’s Central Bank Says, Won’t Delay Testing Iran to Increase Penalties for Unauthorized Cryptocurrency Mining