Alameda CEO and FTX Exec Plead Guilty to Criminal Charges
- The CEO of Alameda Research, Caroline Ellison, and FTX co-founder Gary Wang, have pleaded guilty to criminal charges.
- Ellison plead guilty to seven counts which carry a maximum sentence of 110 years.
- Wang plead guilty to four counts which carry a maximum sentence of 50 years.
- US Attorney for SDNY, Damian Williams, warned crypto firms to come out and accept their mistakes like FTX and Alameda execs.
The chief executive of Alameda Research, the sister firm of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX established by Sam Bankman-Fried, Caroline Ellison, along with FTX co-founder Gary Wang, have plead guilty to federal fraud charges according to a recent report and are now awaiting sentence. The bankruptcy of the exchange, along with 130 other firms, has become one of the most high-profile cases in the crypto space recently, and authorities are leaving no stone unturned.
Additionally, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), Damian Williams, made the announcement of Ellison and Wang pleading guilty and added that this won’t be the last in this case, implying that the orchestrator of the entire corporate structure, Sam Bankman-Fried, also known as SBF in the crypto community, might soon have to speak the truth in a federal court.
While revealing the Alameda and FTX executives’ statements, Williams stated, “As I said last week, this investigation is ongoing and moving very quickly. I also said last week’s announcement would not be our last, and let me be clear once again, neither is today’s,” and added that:
“I’m announcing that SDNY has filed charges against Caroline Ellison […] and Gary Wang […] in connection with their roles in the frauds that contributed to FTX’s collapse. Both Ms. Ellison and Mr. Wang have plead guilty to those charges and both are cooperating with the SDNY,” Williams said.
Additionally, Williams also confirmed that SBF has been extradited to the United States and is currently in the custody of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who are taking him back to the US soil. Interestingly, the US Attorney confirmed that the former head of FTX will be transported directly to the Southern District of New York so that he can be presented before a judge “as soon as possible.”
The US Attorney also warned other crypto firms and stated that if there are companies that are involved in similar practices like Alameda and FTX, they should come out and accept their mistakes. He added that. “Now is the time to get ahead of it. We are moving quickly and our patience is not eternal.”
According to abcnews, Alameda’s Ellison, who is also the ex-girlfriend of SBF, pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to commit wire fraud on customers of FTX, wire fraud on customers of FTX, conspiracy to commit wire fraud on lenders of Alameda Research and wire fraud on lenders of Alameda Research, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.”
These seven criminal charges accepted by the CEO of Alameda Research carry a total sentence of over 110 years. On the other hand, the co-founder of FTX, Wang, pleaded guilty to four counts, i.e., “conspiracy to commit wire fraud on customers of FTX, wire fraud on customers of FTX, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud; and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.” Therefore, he faces a jail term of almost 50 years.
Additionally, as per a release from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the two have also been charged “for their roles in a multiyear scheme to defraud equity investors in FTX.” Furthermore, the DoJ is investigating the crypto exchange over charges for sending money out of the US.
A crypto journalist with over 3 years of experience in DeFi, NFT, metaverse, etc. Parth has worked with major media outlets in the crypto and finance world and has gained experience and expertise in crypto culture after surviving bear and bull markets over the years.
