Former FTX CEO's attorneys agree to pay for security expert to assist
Rebeca Moen Feb 24, 2023 09:41
SBF's lawyers sent a short letter to Judge Kaplan agreeing to employ a tech expert for the fraud case.
The attorneys who are defending former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried have come to an agreement to foot the bill for a security expert who will assist the federal judge who is presiding over his fraud case in navigating modern encryption technology. This will help the judge decide whether or not to modify Bankman-bail Fried's conditions.
On February 21, attorneys Christian Everdell and Mark Cohen of Bankman-Fried issued a letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan in which they expressed their agreement with his suggestion that he get assistance from a technical specialist.
The letter states that "the defense has already begun researching and contacting possible experts and anticipates being able to propose one or more potential candidates to the court by the end of this week." The letter also states that "the defense has already begun researching and contacting possible experts."
At a bail hearing that took place a week ago, Judge Kaplan indicated that bail conditions should be increased when it was determined that Bankman-Fried had been accessing the internet using a virtual private network (VPN) (virtual private network).
It is common practice to use a virtual private network, often known as a VPN, in order to alter one's internet protocol (IP) address, to provide an extra layer of protection to one's communications, or to access information that is prohibited under authoritarian regimes.
The court has been attempting to find a middle ground between granting Bankman-Fried access to communication channels so that he may prepare his case and preventing the abuse of messaging applications and privacy software.
Judge Kaplan has placed a temporary prohibition on Bankman-Fried using any virtual private network (VPN) or encrypted chat applications until his bail conditions have been resolved.
The technical expert will assist the court in navigating challenges relating to encrypted communications, messaging programs that prioritize privacy, and virtual private networks (VPNs).
Bankman-Fried and his counsel claim that he utilized the virtual private network (VPN) on two separate occasions: first to watch the NFL playoffs on January 29 and another time to watch the Super Bowl on February 12.
The prosecution has requested that Bankman-access Fried's to the internet and other chat platforms be severely restricted as a condition of his release on bail. They also said that the usage of a virtual private network (VPN) "created various possible issues" about the potential access to cryptocurrency sites that had prohibited users from the United States.
Image source: Shutterstock