According to recent sources, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) may be transferred to a new prison facility. Although the exact location has not been disclosed, indications suggest that he may be moved to a facility in California. This change of prison coincides with SBF’s efforts to contest the charges against him through an appeal.
A spokesperson for SBF informed that federal authorities initiated the transfer to a new prison on Wednesday morning, cancelling his initial wish to remain in New York while his appeal is prepared. Sources indicate that Bankman-Fried is likely to be transferred from the Brooklyn, New York prison to a federal correctional facility in Mendota, California, where he had been residing for the past 9 months.
The new facility
Mendota Prison, according to the Bureau of Prisons website, is a medium-security prison with a minimum-security satellite camp, currently housing 931 inmates. The transfer would bring Sam closer to his parents’ home near Stanford University, with the new prison about two and a half hours away.
The Bureau of Prisons, reached for comment on Mr. Bankman-Fried’s case, declined to release any information, citing confidentiality and security reasons. Meanwhile, in a court filing Wednesday afternoon, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, in charge of SBF’s case, had recommended keeping Bankman-Fried at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.
What to expect from this transfer
SBF had previously expressed a preference to remain at the mixed-security Brooklyn MDC, arguing that this would facilitate access to his legal team for his appeal. However, this transfer appears to have been decided despite his preferences.
En mars 2024, Sam Bankman-Fried a été condamné à 25 ans de prison pour avoir fraudé les clients, les investisseurs et les prêteurs de FTX, dans ce qui est considéré comme l’une des plus grandes fraudes de l’histoire des États-Unis. Il a été reconnu coupable de plusieurs chefs d’accusation, y compris fraude électronique, complot de fraude électronique, fraude en valeurs mobilières, complot de fraude sur matières premières, et complot de blanchiment d’argent.
Situation after the verdict
After his conviction, Bankman-Fried was initially released on bail and confined to his parents’ home in Northern California, until Judge Kaplan revoked his bail in August for attempted witness intimidation, confining him to the Metropolitan Detention Center ever since.
