The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of one of cryptocurrency’s biggest exchanges, begins with a jury set to determine if he committed massive fraud by stealing billions of dollars from clients.
The 31-year-old — once one of the most respected figures in crypto — now faces decades in prison and could see his name stand alongside Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes as the era’s most prominent fraudsters.
The first day of the trial is devoted to jury selection for a case that is set to last about six weeks. Bankman-Fried faces seven counts including wire fraud, securities and commodities fraud and money laundering.
Bankman-Fried enters the courtroom alone — without being escorted by security guards — uncuffed, and takes his place alongside his lawyers, an AFP journalist observes. Dressed in a gray suit and striped tie, his usually long curly hair is cut short.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this