Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and former CEO of FTX, returned to Twitter on Dec. 30 after weeks of inactivity coinciding with his arrest.
Bankman-Fried commented on a recent event that saw Alameda-related cryptocurrency addresses move at least $1.7 million of assets. Those funds were transferred to crypto mixers in several batches on Dec. 28.
Bankman-Fried denied that he played any role in this movement, writing:
None of these are me. I’m not and couldn’t be moving any of those funds; I don’t have access to them anymore.
However, he added that it is likely that “various legit legs of FTX” can access those funds and said that he hopes that those entities were behind the movement of funds. He also said that he is “happy to help advise regulators” to investigate the matter.
Bankman-Fried’s desire to cooperate with authorities is undoubtedly due to the harsh criminal charges he faces. As a result, Bankman-Fried could possibly attempt to arrange a plea deal similar to those obtained by his associates, Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang. However, one former federal prosecutor has suggested that Bankman-Fried is unlikely to be given a favorable deal due to his lead role in FTX’s alleged fraud.
Bankman-Fried’s next hearing is set for Jan. 3. Incidentally, the Wall Street Journal suggested today that, based on its sources, Bankman-Fried will plead not guilty.
Bankman-Fried has been otherwise silent for the past three weeks. He did not tweet in the two days following his arrest on Dec. 12 and was absent from Twitter in the following weeks. After FTX’s collapse in November, Bankman-Fried frequently defied lawyers by making public statements and issuing apologies.
