The complexity of the ever-evolving crypto regulations landscape has been punctuated by the recent controversy surrounding the collapse of the former third largest crypto exchange, FTX. Caught in the swirl of accusations is FTX’s former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, whose extravagant PR campaigns and all-too apparent wheeling-dealing are now under the lens.
Enterprise blockchain solution pioneer, Cardano’s founder, Charles Hoskinson, took to the X platform to vent his frustration over the media’s apparent leniency towards Bankman-Fried. He lambasted the media for granting, in his opinion, an undeserved ‘free pass’ to the former CEO, even likening him to Bernie Madoff, the mastermind of the biggest Ponzi scam in history.
His outrage stems from the free-flowing media attention he believes SBF is receiving, inspite of evidence pointing towards his involvement in misappropriation and mismanagement of FTX customer funds. He targeted celebrated author Michael Lewis, whose recent book on Bankman-Fried appears to be winning media mileage in the days leading up to the latter’s trial, termed by Hoskinson as an ‘apology tour’.
The FTX debacle saw the exchange crash spectacularly in November 2022, after bagging a whopping multi-million funding in the first quarter of the same year. The official reason for the crash was attributed to adverse market conditions and a liquidity crunch by the then CEO, who ironically now stands trial on multiple counts of conspiracy and fraud.
New trails of evidence appearing during the first week of the trial, pin an ugly collage – a secret backdoor access to FTX maintained by Alameda Research, a trading firm setup by Bankman-Fried prior to FTX, was used to direct customer’s funds suspiciously. The former CEO’s zealous investment into grand PR campaigns, hiring the likes of Tom Brady and Kevin O Leary by spending millions, partying with politicians, and even pondering to buy out Donald Trump’s candidacy for a staggering $5 billion, paint a disturbing picture.
Was it a case of reckless extravagance, unchecked power, or a deliberate Ponzi setup under the guise of a crypto exchange? The jury, under the watchful eyes of Judge Lewis Kaplan, will weigh in on the matter as the trial unfolds. While the public verdict tilts towards the former FTX CEO’s guilt, it underscores the importance of a transparent and accountable media and the dire necessity of sturdy, foolproof crypto regulations.
Source: Cointelegraph
