RFK Jr. says U.S. decision to drop charges against SBF was corrupt
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U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reacts to the U.S. government’s decision to withdraw support for embattled cryptocurrency exchange FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried expressed shock and concern over the six charges.
Presidential candidate Kennedy Jr. shared his thoughts on the development on the Charges against several politicians have been dropped.
He stressed that the public was not surprised by the decision because it pointed to a deeper problem of normalized corruption within the U.S. government.
Earlier last year, crypto.news reported on U.S. government campaign finance charges against Bankman-Fried, saying he directed two former FTX executives to funnel more than $100 million to certain political candidates. This was allegedly done to circumvent legal campaign restrictions and support politicians who support the cryptocurrency industry.
The Aug. 14 indictment details how Bankman-Fried used his influence to lobby Congress and regulators for favorable cryptocurrency regulations and legislation.
U.S. prosecutors, led by Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, decided not to pursue several remaining charges against Bankman-Fried, including foreign bribery, bank fraud and illegal political donations.
The decision was influenced in part by a dispute with the Bahamas over Bankman-Fried’s extradition and the fact that evidence against some of the charges had been presented during his original trial. Bankman-Fried was found guilty of all seven counts of fraud and conspiracy related to FTX and Alameda Research.
Prosecutors are aiming for sentencing in March 2024 to avoid delays in the second trial, arguing that the public interest requires a prompt and fair resolution.
As a result, some details may remain public, such as the specific role of Thai escorts in Alameda’s strategy to unlock his Chinese accounts. This led to Alameda bribing Chinese government officials, which was revealed in the testimony of Carolyn Ellison, Alameda’s former CEO and a key witness in the case.
The cryptocurrency community is particularly concerned about the charges of illegal political donations being dropped, given the large amount of donations Bankman-Fried has made to politicians across the political spectrum.
On December 30, Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal also called the decision a “miscarriage of justice” on the X website and emphasized the importance of publicly announcing campaign finance charges.
Bankman-Fried is currently scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2024.
