SEC åtalar Sam Bankman-Fried för bedrägeri av amerikanska kunder

• SEC anklagade Bankman-Fried för att avleda kundmedel för personligt bruk.
• 30-åringen ska ha gett investerare det felaktiga intrycket att FTX var säkert och hade lämpliga riskhanteringssystem.
• Bankman-Fried greps nyligen på Bahamas efter att ha åtalats i USA.

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United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) har enligt uppgift lämnade in åtal mot den nyligen arresterade grundaren av den konkursbörs, FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried. Vakthunden anklagade Bankman-Fried för att ha brutit mot bedrägeribekämpningsbestämmelserna i Securities Act från 1933 och Securities Exchange Act från 1934.

The SEC claimed SBF ran nothing less than a “brazen,” years-long fraud from the start of FTX, which enabled him to mismanage and divert billions of users’ funds for personal use. Legal filings released on Tuesday said Bankman-Fried used customer funds to bail out his trading company, Alameda Research, which was supposed to operate separately from FTX. The 30-year-old is also said to have misused funds to push his political ambitions with heavy donations.

According to the civil lawsuit the agency filed in the Southern District of New York, Bankman-Fried generated more than $1.8 billion from investors who purchased equity stakes in the exchange under the impression that FTX had effective control and proactive risk management.

Customers allegedly “believed his lies” and thought the platform was secure, and trusted the exchange with billions of dollars. The filing claimed SBF “spent lavishly on office space and condominiums in The Bahamas, and sank billions of dollars of customer funds into speculative venture investments.”

SEC-ordförande Gary Gensler sa i ett uttalande,

Vi hävdar att Sam Bankman-Fried byggde ett korthus på en grund av bedrägeri samtidigt som han berättade för investerare att det var en av de säkraste byggnaderna inom krypto.

SEC lämnade in stämningsansökan en dag efter att Bankman-Fried arresterades på Bahamas av brottsbekämpande myndigheter efter att ha informerats om att ett åtal hade väckts mot honom i en domstol i New York. Bankman-Fried tidigare hävdade att han inte medvetet begick bedrägeri. Tillsynsmyndigheterna tror dock att det hade varit planen från början.

SBF was accused of misleading investors with lies regarding the relationship between FTX and Alameda Research. The FTX founder reportedly claimed, “Alameda was just another platform customer with no special privileges.” But the complaint said Alameda was illegally granted special status with lines of credit and a waiver from the FTX’ liquidation protocols, enabling it access to users’ funds.

Bankman-Fried’s arrest could give regulators increased control over the crypto space.

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