Sam Bankman-Fried agrees to be extradited to U.S. from Bahamas, attorney says


Sam Bankman-Fried, the embattled founder of collapsed crypto exchange FTX, agreed Monday to be extradited to the United States to face federal fraud charges, according to his attorney.
The 30-year-old finance guru was previously arrested in the Bahamas, and his decision not to fight extradition follows a reportedly raucous day in court.
Jerone Roberts, a Bahamian defense lawyer for Bankman-Fried, told The New York Times that his client had agreed to the extradition demands by American authorities, against "the strongest possible legal advice."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We as counsel will prepare the necessary documents to trigger the court [for extradition]," Roberts added. "Mr. Bankman-Fried wishes to put the customers right, and that is what has driven his decision."
Bankman-Fried was charged in the Southern District of New York with a series of criminal and civil offenses relating to the collapse of FTX. The 13-page federal indictment charged him with eight counts of wire fraud as well as conspiracy to defraud the United States, in a massive fraud scheme that investigators say totaled billions of dollars.
The Associated Press reported that Monday's court hearing had to be stopped after Bankman-Fried's lawyers claimed he was put before the court prematurely, and Roberts told the Times that he was "shocked" to see his client at the hearing. AP added that it remains unclear as to when his extradition could actually occur.
It was previously reported that Bankman-Fried was considering dropping his fight against extradition in an effort to make the legal process run more smoothly.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
France and Indonesia promote a contentious bid for an Israel-Palestine two-state solution
Talking Points Both countries have said a two-state solution is the way to end the Middle East conflict
-
Film reviews: Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch, and Final Destination: Bloodlines
Feature Tom Cruise risks life and limb to entertain us, a young girl befriends a destructive alien, and death stalks a family that resets fate's toll.
-
Music reviews: Morgan Wallen and Kali Uchis
Feature "I'm the Problem" and "Sincerely"
-
Is Apple breaking up with Google?
Today's Big Question Google is the default search engine in the Safari browser. The emergence of artificial intelligence could change that.
-
Amazon launches 1st Kuiper internet satellites
Speed Read The battle of billionaires continues in space
-
Test flight of orbital rocket from Europe explodes
Speed Read Isar Aerospace conducted the first test flight of the Spectrum orbital rocket, which crashed after takeoff
-
Apple pledges $500B in US spending over 4 years
Speed Read This is a win for Trump, who has pushed to move manufacturing back to the US
-
Microsoft unveils quantum computing breakthrough
Speed Read Researchers say this advance could lead to faster and more powerful computers
-
TikTok's fate uncertain as weekend deadline looms
Speed Read The popular app is set to be banned in the U.S. starting Sunday
-
Appeals court kills FCC net neutrality rule
Speed Read A U.S. appeals court blocked Biden's effort to restore net-neutrality rules
-
Judge rejects Elon Musk's $56B pay package again
Speed Read Judge Kathaleen McCormick upheld her rejection of the Tesla CEO's unprecedented compensation deal