A car crashed into the barricade of SBF’s current home, lawyers say

Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) say three men drove their vehicle into a metal barricade outside his parents’ home in California.

The former FTX CEO’s family recently admitted to being the target of “media scrutiny, harassment” and even physical threats.

The security incident

The gigantic crash of FTX caused multi-billion investor losses and made SBF one of the most infamous figures in the cryptocurrency space. American authorities accused the 30-year-old to be the main culprit of the collapse, having committed several crimes such as money laundering and fraud.

Somewhat expectedly, the wave of criticism spread to affected investors, many of whom also blamed him for the event.

His lawyers recently revealed that three individuals rammed their car into the barricade of his current home and told a security guard:

“You will not be able to prevent us from entering.”

Then they got back into the vehicle and left without being recognized. The man guarding the house in Palo Alto couldn’t register the car’s license plate.

The incident occurred nearly a month after a federal judge in New York authorized SBF to live in his parents’ house on a record $250 million bond. Prior to that, he spent a week in the Bahamian prison of Fox Hill, while the trial on October 2, 2023 will decide whether he played a role in FTX’s death and determine his final sentence.

The lawyers disclosed earlier this month that his mother – Barbara Fried – and father – Joseph Bankman – received “a steady stream of threatening correspondence, including communications expressing a desire that they suffer physical harm”.

Who authorized the bail?

The $250 million bond that allowed SBF to await trial at his parents’ house has sparked significant controversy in the crypto community. Thus, the major media, including Bloomberg, CNBC, the Financial Times, the Washington Post and others, urged the judge in charge of the case to reveal the names of the people who authorized it.

SBF’s attorneys declined to provide details of the request, explaining that there was a good chance these sureties would face harassment similar to that of Ms. Fried and Mr. Bankman if their profiles became public:

“Given the high profile of this case and the extraordinary media attention it is receiving, it is reasonable to assume that non-parental sureties will face significant privacy and security issues if their identities are disclosed.”

Prosecutors have yet to take any action to honor the media appeal.