Lawyers for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried are asking for permission for him to have a flip-phone or other device that’s not a smartphone while he is on bail.
Advocates for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried have filed a request that he be allowed to carry a flip-phone or any other device that is not a smartphone while on bail.
In a letter sent on Friday to the judge handling the case, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys requested a less restrictive bail condition followed concerns that the former billionaire might be using electronic devices in ways that can’t be traced.
Though he pleaded not guilty of fraud and the misappropriation of customer funds at FTX, prosecutors from last month’s hearing noted that Bankman-Fried had used a virtual private network (VPN) and sent encrypted messages via the Signal app in January.
Bankman-Fried’s lawyers argued that allowing him to have a flip-phone or other device that’s not a smartphone would offer an appropriate level of monitoring while still enabling him to make necessary calls to his legal team and family members.
“Allowing Mr. Bankman-Fried to use a flip-phone or other device that is not a smartphone will provide an appropriate level of monitoring and supervision, while still allowing him to make necessary calls to his attorneys and family members,” the lawyers wrote in the letter.
The judge has yet to make a decision on the matter.
A court hearing has been requested to decide whether former FTX executive Sam Bankman-Fried should be confined to his parents’ home and made to use a flip phone, under a proposed stricter bail plan. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan is set to make the decision soon.
Under the proposal, Bankman-Fried’s phone would be limited to SMS text messages and voice calls. He would have a laptop with limited access to the internet, with only whitelisted websites allowed. He would be granted access to multiple applications such as Zoom, Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat.
Additionally, a monitoring program would be installed to track any activity on the device. Bankman-Fried’s parents will have to sign sworn affidavits, agreeing not to bring any additional devices into the house. They will be allowed to access their password-protected devices.
The final decision on the bail plan is yet to be made.
