Bitcoin
$41,569.48+5.35%
Ethereum
$2,251.52+4.08%
Binance Coin
$227.19+0.81%
XRP
$0.63986446+3.19%
Solana
$64.18+0.74%
Cardano
$0.41097732+3.82%
Dogecoin
$0.09036415+6.13%
Tron
$0.11038590-0.39%
Chainlink
$16.15+0.14%
Avalanche
$22.54+2.33%
Polygon
$0.83014229+2.13%
Polkadot
$5.63+3.17%
PlayIconNav
Crypto Prices CoinDesk Market Index CoinDesk Market Index
Policy

US Judge Rejects Bankman-Fried's Bail Modification Request

The former FTX CEO's attorneys and prosecutors made a joint request to allow him to use certain messaging apps on Monday.

By Nikhilesh De
AccessTimeIconFeb 7, 2023 at 3:49 p.m. UTC
Updated Feb 7, 2023 at 4:44 p.m. UTC
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during his extradition to the U.S. (Royal Bahamas Police Force)

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during his extradition to the U.S. (Royal Bahamas Police Force)

10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

A federal judge rejected a joint request to modify Sam Bankman-Fried's bail conditions to allow him to use certain messaging tools.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, of the Southern District of New York, said the motion is "denied without prejudice" until a hearing on Thursday. An attorney for the former FTX exchange CEO requested on Monday that he be allowed to use certain unencrypted messaging applications, as well as WhatsApp with the use of monitoring software.

The attorney, Mark Cohen, said prosecutors had agreed to the proposed modifications, which would have allowed Bankman-Fried to use apps such as FaceTime, Zoom, email and others. He would also be allowed to use WhatsApp, but those conversations would be monitored with logging software.

He would not be allowed to use Signal or similar apps, under the proposed modifications.

Cohen said that if the judge signed off, the defense would "withdraw its request to remove the asset transfer condition" and ask for Thursday's hearing to be canceled.

Judge Kaplan said oral arguments will continue. The hearing is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.

UPDATE (Feb. 7, 2023, 16:00 UTC): Adds additional detail.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, institutional digital assets exchange. Bullish group is majority owned by Block.one; both groups have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary, and an editorial committee, chaired by a former editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, is being formed to support journalistic integrity.

Nikhilesh De
Nikhilesh De

Nikhilesh De is CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation. He owns marginal amounts of bitcoin and ether.

Follow @nikhileshde on Twitter

Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.