On Tuesday night, the relatives of disgraced crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried reportedly called the rodent-infested Bahamas prison where he is being held and asked if he could be fed vegan food there.
FTX’s founder, who was charged this week with several financial crimes, was reported to have his own room in the Bahamas lockup that is known to be crawling with rats and maggots. His relatives requested vegan meals for the disgraced CEO at the Fox Hill jail in Nassau.
Bankman-Fried was ordered to remain at the notorious jail until his extradition hearing is held on Feb. 8. This week he was arrested on multiple charges for allegedly deceiving FTX customers and investors. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, he could not receive visitors at the jail, so relatives called instead.
The family of indicted crypto executive Sam Bankman-Fried requested that the Bahamas jail where he's being held feed him vegan meals, according to a report. https://t.co/vS8p1ahXyP
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) December 15, 2022
Fox Hill jail was once described as “not fit for humanity” by the warden. The state department reported last year that inmates in the Bahamas’ only correctional facility were confined to cramped, overcrowded cells and forced to remove human waste by the bucket.
His new living conditions must be shocking after he was discovered hiding in a luxury compound before his arrest. In his motion, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers cited his vegan diet and attention deficit disorder diagnosis as reasons for releasing him on cash bail. As of now, it is unclear which of Bankman-Fried’s family members attempted to make sure his dietary preferences were met.
Stanford law professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried hugged their son after presiding Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt refused to set bail. His legal team indicated that he would fight extradition to the U.S., where he faces eight federal charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy.
As soon as FTX was founded in 2019, Bankman-Fried developed “a scheme and artifice” to defraud its customers and investors. Prosecutors said in a 13-page indictment that he illegally diverted their money to cover expenses, debts, and risky trades at the cryptocurrency hedge fund he founded in 2017.
