advertisement
Business Insider reports that former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s laptop stores so much data that the FBI struggles to analyze it. March 30th.
Prosecutor overloaded with laptop data
The FBI has a problem with the contents of the laptop, according to a statement by US Department of Justice (DOJ) assistant federal attorney Nicholas Roos.
It will reportedly take weeks for prosecutors to obtain Bankman-Fried’s Slack messages. It takes time to retrieve other data, and the agent has to divide the contents of the laptop into separate parts due to the huge amount of data on the computer.
As a result, the Department of Justice has so far been unable to initiate a privileged review — that is, a review by individuals not working on the case. decide whether
Bankman-Fried’s attorneys reportedly expressed concerns about how prosecutors would handle data on the laptops. However, the lawyer’s concern is said to be related not to whether the Justice Department can fully sort out the laptop’s data, but to the likelihood of cooperating witnesses who can testify to advance the government’s case.
Business Insider’s report also shows that prosecutors have provided more than 6 million pages of documentary evidence related to the case to date.
SBF court proceedings continue
It’s unclear if the DOJ and FBI’s problems are just about data volume, or if it’s related to encryption and privacy.
While Bankman-Fried’s apparent data-hoarding habits have never been discussed, his propensity to use covert auto-delete message apps has been an issue in his previous lawsuits. He is currently restricted from using these apps.
Bankman-Fried’s main trial is scheduled for October, but the court proceedings are ongoing. Bankman-Fried recently pleaded not guilty to 13 federal indictments against him. Previously, he was charged with violating anti-bribery laws related to China.
Bankman-Fried faces up to 115 years in prison for his involvement in FTX misconduct, but even if convicted, there’s no guarantee he’ll get the full sentence.
