Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has requested that his “close friends” be allowed to visit him at his parents’ home without undergoing court-ordered security checks. Bankman-Fried’s lawyers submitted a letter to New York District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan on July 13, seeking permission for the approved visitors to bypass the security measures outlined in his bail conditions.
These security measures include the presence of a security guard at the house to screen visitors for electronic devices and requiring visitors to sign an electronic visitor log. Currently, only Bankman-Fried’s lawyers and employees of his contracted law firm are exempt from these checks. The lawyers are requesting an extension of this exemption to visitors pre-approved by the court.
The submitted list of visitors, which prosecutors reviewed without objections, consists of “close friends and colleagues of Bankman-Fried’s parents and household help who regularly visit the house,” as stated in the letter. The list has been filed under seal to protect the privacy and safety of those mentioned.
Bankman-Fried, as part of his bail conditions set by Judge Kaplan, is only permitted to use a laptop with access to court-approved sites, restricted to selected news sites and YouTube. His phone has no internet access, allowing him only to make and receive calls and texts. The visitors on the list are said to be aware of and committed to complying with Bankman-Fried’s bail conditions, including the prohibition on sharing electronic devices with him.
Since being granted bail in December 2022, Bankman-Fried has been residing at his parents’ house in Palo Alto, California, which was put up as collateral for his $250 million bail bond. A trial for the 13 charges filed against him was scheduled to begin on October 2, but five charges were separated for a second trial set to start on March 11, 2024.
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