FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried ordered to appear in court for the second time in a week after prosecutors revealed he tried to use a VPN despite being warned against it by Judge Kaplan I was.
Judge Kaplan set a hearing scheduled for February 16 after prosecutors presented their evidence. letter The former FTX CEO has twice used a VPN to access the internet, most recently spotted on Super Bowl Sunday through SBF’s pen registration of a VPN-connected personal Gmail account.
Prosecutors allege the violation occurred less than a week after Judge Kaplan. forbidden SBF by using Signal’s encrypted messaging app. “The use of VPNs by defendants poses many of the same risks associated with the use of encrypted messaging or calling applications,” Kaplan told SBF at his Feb. 7 hearing. .
Despite Judge Kaplan’s concerns, the judge simply asked SBF to refrain from using VPNs until after the court’s discussion.
Prosecutors now say, “The use of VPNs raises several potential concerns. First, a VPN is an encryption mechanism that hides your online activity from third parties, including the government. A server essentially acts as a proxy on the internet, so it’s a way to disguise a user’s location.”
In a letter sent by prosecutors to Judge Kaplan, it said, “Some individuals are using VPNs to access international cryptocurrency exchanges that use IPs to block users in the United States. It is well known that they disguise the facts.”
In response, Bankman-Fried’s legal team requested additional time to negotiate new bail terms, which Judge Kaplan denied and all parties, including SBF, agreed on February 16. demanded to return to court.
