The judge overseeing Sam Bankman-Fried’s criminal case has ruled that the names of the two bail bond signatories can be revealed. January 30th filing.
Former FTX CEO Bankman-Fried has been temporarily detained in the United States after being extradited from the Bahamas on December 21. House.
However, bail proceedings also included two smaller bonds of $500,000 and $200,000. These bonds were co-signed by two individuals acting as guarantors, including at least one individual not of Bankman-Fried’s family.
Then, on January 3, Bankman-Fried and his legal team requested that the names of these guarantors be redacted for personal safety and privacy.
Now, federal judge Louis Kaplan has decided that the names of the two guarantors can be made public at the request of various media outlets. “In my view, individual bonds should remain on public record,” Kaplan said in a court filing today.
Kaplan gave several reasons for his decision. First, he noted that the identity of the surety played no direct role in his Bankman-Fried’s release. The bond was not signed until after his bail, and the name of the surety was not known to the magistrate who approved Bankman-Fried’s release. Kaplan believes that public knowledge of the guarantor’s name will not affect future legal proceedings or law enforcement.
Kaplan also argued that disclosing the names of guarantors would not harm an individual’s safety and privacy (apart from attracting publicity). He noted that bonds are traditionally published in the names of the signatories.
The names of the two bail bond signatories could be announced soon, but won’t be announced until Feb. 7 or Feb. 14, depending on whether Bankman-Fried’s team appeals the decision. If that appeal is successful, the name may remain private.
With a large number of individuals involved in the FTX demise and suspected levels of conspiracy, the eventual reveal of the name will undoubtedly attract attention.
