London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 27, 2025

Sam Bankman-Fried to be released on record $250M bond, placed under house arrest

Sam Bankman-Fried to be released on record $250M bond, placed under house arrest

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was released on $250 million bond and placed under house arrest at his parents' Palo Alto home after a Manhattan judge signed off on a deal that saw him voluntarily leave the Bahamas to face a slew of US fraud charges.
Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced former cryptocurrency executive, was granted release from custody on Thursday by a federal magistrate judge who imposed highly restrictive bail conditions including a $250 million bond and a requirement that he remain in home detention with his parents in California.

The appearance in Federal District Court in Manhattan came just hours after Mr. Bankman-Fried, 30, arrived in the United States following his extradition from the Bahamas, where he was arrested at a luxury apartment complex on Dec. 12 and held in a local jail.

Under the bail arrangement, Mr. Bankman-Fried will live with his parents in Palo Alto, Calif., under strict electronic monitoring, including a bracelet that will be placed on him before he leaves the courthouse.

The $250 million personal recognizance bond — a written promise to appear in court as needed — will be secured by his parents’ interest in their home, the judge said. He was also required to surrender his passport and to receive mental health and substance abuse treatment. Any expenses above $1,000 would require prior approval by the government.

The judge, Gabriel W. Gorenstein, warned Mr. Bankman-Fried that if he failed to appear in court or violated any of the other conditions, a warrant would be issued for his arrest and he and his parents would be responsible for paying the hefty bond.

Asked whether he understood, Mr. Bankman-Fried responded, “Yes, I do,” the only words he uttered in the hearing, which lasted less than an hour.

Discussions about a bail deal had begun even before Mr. Bankman-Fried was extradited. In court on Thursday, the deal was formally proposed by the U.S. prosecutors in the Southern District of New York who brought the charges against Mr. Bankman-Fried.

Mr. Bankman-Fried was escorted into court wearing a dark suit and was seated between his two lawyers, Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell.

Mr. Cohen argued that Mr. Bankman-Fried was not a flight risk. “My client voluntarily consented to come to face these charges here in New York,” he told the judge. “He wants to address them.”

Nicolas Roos, an assistant U.S. attorney, said Mr. Bankman-Fried had committed crimes of “epic proportions” and that the case against him involved multiple cooperating witnesses, as well as encrypted text messages and tens of thousands of pages of financial records. But he noted that Mr. Bankman-Fried had “family and communities ties” and that his wealth had “diminished significantly.”

“It would be very difficult for this defendant to hide without being recognized,” Judge Gorenstein said. “So I believe that the risk of flight is appropriately mitigated.”

Mr. Bankman-Fried has been charged with two counts of wire fraud and six counts of conspiracy related to securities and commodities fraud, money laundering and violating the campaign finance laws.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
×