Bankman-Fried brought to book

Matthew Cranston and Jessica Sier

Oct 6, 2023 – 2.51pm

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Key Points

Sam Bankman-Fried is facing fraud charges related to the collapse of crypto exchange FTX
Prosecutors allege $US10bn of FTX customer money had been mis-used
Author Michael Lewis has released a tell-all book the week the trial began

Sitting in front of a freshly picked jury and a courtroom jammed with reporters, Sam Bankman-Fried’s trademark unruly curls had vanished after five weeks in a Brooklyn prison. But his constant fidgeting, shaking and knee-jiggling hadn’t.

This week marked the start of the crypto entrepreneur’s six-week trial in New York City. The 31-year-old is charged with several counts of fraud and orchestrating a conspiracy to misuse $US10 billion ($15.7 billion) of customer money. That money had been entrusted to him through his now defunct crypto exchange, FTX. About 30,000 Australians are creditors.