Sam Bankmanfried (pictured), founder of FTX, the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency exchange, arrested on charges of virtual currency fraud, was released without paying a penny of bail of 320 billion won and returned home in business class on an airplane, causing controversy.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 24th, Bankman Fried, who was arrested in the Bahamas, where FTX headquarters is located, was extradited to the United States on the 21st and obtained bail permission in the New York Federal Court the next day. He refused to pay the $250 million (regarding 320 billion won) bail set by the court, instead offering his parents’ house as collateral. The British Daily Mail reported that the value of the house is estimated at 4 million dollars (approximately 5.1 billion won). According to the American Bar Association (ABA), if the accused is unable to pay bail, they can be released if they provide 10% of their total assets as collateral. Bankman Fried was spotted boarding a business seat on an American Airlines flight at JFK Airport in New York on his way to his parents’ house in California shortly following his release, Business Insider reported on the 24th.
Reporter Kim Soo-hyun newsoo@donga.com
