FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried, DOJ tussle over his communications

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE
AP Business Writer

Federal prosecutors are trying to prohibit FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried from privately contacting current and former employees of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange to prevent potential witness tampering in a criminal case accusing him of bilking investors and customers. The request, made in a letter filed late Friday by U.S. Justice Department lawyers, prompted an indignant response from Bankman-Fried’s lawyer, who accused prosecutors of twisting the facts to cast the FTX founder in a sinister light ahead of his trial scheduled later this year. The 30-year-old Bankman-Fried has been under court confinement in his parents California home since pleading not guilty to the charges against him.