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The fraud and money laundering case against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was reassigned to a new judge after the formerly appointed judge recused herself over a possible conflict of interest. Judge Ronnie Abrams of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York removed herself from the case last week because her husband is a law partner in a firm that worked with FTX previously. In Abrams' place comes Judge Lewis Kaplan, who has presided over a number of high-profile cases in recent years, including a defamation lawsuit brought against former President Donald Trump by E. Jean Carroll....

Disgraced Sam Bankman-Fried appears to be living a life of luxury, after pictures of him in an American Airlines lounge and business class seat emerged following his $250 million bond release. Photos show the accused fraudster Bankman-Fried relaxing at JFK's American Airlines Flagship lounge and later, without shoes, in a business class seat on a AA flight. The pictures, posted to social media on Friday show two snaps in the lounge with a caption saying that he was there 'with his parents, FBI and lawyers.' The person taking the lounge pictures said that they had asked if they could take...

It looks like the snowflake who ran the world's largest crypto money-laundering scheme has gotten himself temporarily freed from prison thanks to his mommy and daddy. From CNBC: His parents, both Stanford Law professors, were present in the courtroom. Bankman-Fried was flanked by two U.S. Marshals, dressed in a suit and tie. Bankman-Fried's parents would put up the equity in their home to partially satisfy bail conditions. As part of the release, Bankman-Fried would be released into the custody of his parents home. I'm pretty sure SBF bought his parents $30 million or so in real estate, so I have...

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has now signed extradition papers in the Bahamas, where he lived in a multimillion-dollar mansion, after waffling on the decision since his initial court appearance last week. The disgraced former CEO signed the papers to waive an extradition hearing from the Bahamas and will now be flown to the United States to face prosecution after the collapse of a company that was once valued at $32 billion, according to acting Commissioner of Corrections Doan Cleare. Bankman-Fried, 30, had been expected in court Tuesday but did not appear, even as his lawyers and U.S. consular officials waited...

Almost a full two weeks after first filing for bankruptcy on Nov. 11, the insolvent cryptocurrency exchange FTX finally held its first-day motion requests on Tuesday (Nov. 22). The hearing took place in Wilmington, Delaware, the traditional city where corporate bankruptcy cases are heard.Presided over by Judge John T. Dorsey of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, the Tuesday session focused on what assets FTX has, to whom they are owed, and where the overall bankruptcy case for FTX and its affiliates should be held.The remaining “how” of the once-popular crypto exchange’s implosion has been widely covered;...

Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX, his parents and senior executives of the failed cryptocurrency exchange bought at least 19 properties worth nearly $121 million in the Bahamas over the past two years, official property records show. Most of FTX's purchases were luxury beachfront homes, including seven condominiums in an expensive resort community called Albany, costing almost $72 million. The deeds show these properties, bought by a unit of FTX, were to be used as "residence for key personnel" of the company. Reuters could not determine who lived in the apartments.

Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is scheduled to speak at an exclusive conference hosted by the New York Times alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The DealBook Summit, sponsored by Accenture, will be held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan on Nov. 30 and features speeches from supposed luminaries such as Mark Zuckerberg, Mayor Eric Adams, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Vice President Mike Pence. The fee to attend the conference is a whopping $2,499, according to DealBook Summit’s website. A ticket includes mainstage conversations, VIP Networking Sessions, Breakfast and Lunch...

FTX filed for bankruptcy last week, but the cryptocurrency exchange’s founder still thinks that he can raise enough money to make users whole, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Bankman-Fried, alongside a few remaining employees, spent the past weekend calling around in search of commitments from investors to plug a shortfall of up to $8 billion in the hopes of repaying FTX’s customers, the people said. The efforts to cover that shortfall have so far been unsuccessful. The Wall Street Journal couldn’t determine what Mr. Bankman-Fried is offering in return for any potential cash infusion, or whether any...

Nassau, Bahamas — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has put his Bahamas penthouse up for sale for about $40 million after he lost billions in net worth amid the collapse of his crypto exchange. A real estate broker for the 12,000-square feet, five-bedroom residence in the luxury Albany resort said Monday the penthouse was put up for sale in the last week but declined to name the owner. People close to current and former FTX employees who have been at the residence confirmed it is Bankman-Fried’s place. He and other senior colleagues at FTX live and work in the penthouse, which...

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has recently sent out a press release calling Florida gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) the “Joe Biden of Florida.” Rep.Crist, who has a longer political career than his Democratic primary opponent Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried (D-FL), is known by most as the establishment candidate. Crist also served as Governor of Florida (as a Republican) and has been in politics since becoming a state senator in 1993. President Joe Biden (D) has been in the public eye for a long time as well – 50 years in fact – after being elected to the...

The Democrat primary race for governor in Florida remains up in the air leading to the swiftly approaching election, as various polls send mixed signals; separate surveys this week show both Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) and Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried (D) leading. The Sunshine State’s Democrat primary race, which takes place Tuesday, August 23, 2022, is widely believed to be between two main candidates — Crist and Fried. While Crist has been assumed throughout the primary to be the clear leader, a recent survey from the Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) at the University of North Florida suggests otherwise.

The U.S. Department of Justice told a Florida federal judge on Monday that the Sunshine State's medical marijuana patients had no Second Amendment right to possess firearms since they were breaking a federal law. The DOJ's brief was filed in response to a lawsuit brought by the commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and three Florida residents, who allege a federal rule barring medical marijuana patients from having guns is unconstitutional. In its motion to dismiss the case or secure a favorable judgment, the government countered that the policies being challenged by the lawsuit only apply...

A Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate who pledged to legalize marijuana if elected owns a sizable stake in a pot dispensary company, according to a financial disclosure. Nikki Fried, who was a medical marijuana lobbyist before becoming Florida’s agriculture commissioner in 2018, has a $130,000 stake in Harvest Health and Recreation Inc. through a company called Ignite Holdings, her 2021 disclosure to the Florida Commission on Ethics shows.

LAKELAND, Fla. — A 13-year-old girl was arrested by Lakeland Police during an abortion rights protest on the Fourth of July. Lillie Johnson told News Channel 8 she will not be deterred from exercising her First Amendment rights after video of her arrest went viral. “If anything this has encouraged me more to fight for the freedom of anybody and everybody. No matter what, no matter who,” Lillie said. Lillie’s mother, Lauren Johnson, recorded video Monday of Lakeland Police officers detaining her daughter at Munn Park. “It’s important to use your voice and to use it peacefully and appropriately, and...

Vudoe

Nikki Fried is a top Florida Democrat. Fried boasts of being the only statewide elected Democrat since 2012. She is currently the Florida Agriculture Commissioner in the Sunshine State. On Friday Fried held a rally to discuss the recent 15-week abortion bill signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. Only 10 people showed up — including staff!

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (TND) — A Democrat who is running to be the next governor of Florida is facing criticism after she openly compared the state's current Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., to Adolf Hitler. Appearing on NPR's Friday Roundup Podcast, Nikki Fried was asked by the show's co-host Melissa Ross to explain a tweet Fried had made in which she called DeSantis a "dictator". Ross questions Fried, hoping to clarify: “Are you comparing DeSantis to Hitler?” Ross asks. “In a lot of ways, yes,” Fried says in response. “I have studied Hitler and how he got to power, you know, wanting...

Florida’s Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner, Nikki Fried (D), used an appearance on MSNBC to criticize Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for his COVID response; Fried is rumored to be preparing to challenge DeSantis for his reelection bid in 2022. Fried accused DeSantis of “going off on a rampage” earlier this week, when he vowed to sign an executive order banning the use of vaccine passports. The Biden administration is planning to spearhead the implementation of vaccine passports to require individuals to show proof of vaccination in order to attend public events, travel, and reenter normal life. “It’s completely unacceptable for...

Police escorted the fiancé of Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried off the premises of the Westin Beach Resort in Ft. Lauderdale Beach last weekend after a witness said he threw a trash can during a public argument that ended with them getting in a vehicle, driving over a curb and then heading south down State Road A1A with a flat tire. [Snip] Fried is the only statewide elected Democrat in Florida and viewed as a possible 2022 candidate for governor or U.S. Senate. Her spokeswoman told the Miami Herald that “an argument with her fiancé escalated further than either...

**SNIP** Of course in order to decide whether or not to impeach, Senators needs to hear from these witnesses. But Pelosi made this problem for herself. She could have utilized the House subpoena powers to compel these fact witnesses to appear before her chamber, where she makes the rules. She could have allowed the executive privilege claim to be tested in the courts. Instead, she rushed the vote on an artificial timeline “before Christmas,” twisting the arms of members in purple districts and alienating moderate Democrats in the process. There are 30 odd freshmen Democrats who were elected in 2018...