Caroline Ellison to face cross-examination at Sam Bankman-Fried's trial


Former crypto hedge fund Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison arrives for the trial of former FTX Chief Executive Sam Bankman-Fried who is facing fraud charges over the collapse of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's confidant Caroline Ellison will take the stand again at the FTX founder's trial on Thursday, where she could face questions about why she cooperated with prosecutors against her former boss and romantic partner.

Ellison, the former co-chief executive of Bankman-Fried's crypto hedge fund Alameda Research, has been on the stand since Tuesday detailing her role in a multibillion-dollar fraud prosecutors say was orchestrated by Bankman-Fried at his now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange.

Over two days on the stand, Ellison, who took the reins at Alameda in 2021, testified that the hedge fund took $10 billion in FTX customer funds to repay its debts and make investments.

Ellison said through tears that she lived in "dread" the truth would come out, and that FTX's ultimate collapse last year brought an "overwhelming feeling of relief."

Bankman-Fried's attorney Mark Cohen is expected to continue cross-examining Ellison, whom he questioned for a few minutes on Wednesday before jurors went home for the day.

Prosecutors say Bankman-Fried, 31, plundered billions in customer funds to prop up Alameda, buy real estate and donate more than $100 million to U.S. political campaigns. FTX collapsed and declared bankruptcy in November 2022, shocking financial markets and destroying Bankman-Fried's reputation.

Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud and five counts of conspiracy, and has said that while he made mistakes running FTX, he never intended to steal funds.

Ellison, a 28-year-old Stanford University graduate, is one of three former members of Bankman-Fried's inner circle who have pleaded guilty to fraud charges and agreed to cooperate with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office.

Earlier in the trial, Gary Wang, FTX's former technology chief, testified that Bankman-Fried falsely tweeted that FTX was "fine" in November as the exchange faced surging demand for withdrawals. A third cooperating witness, former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh, is also expected to testify at the trial, which could last up to six weeks.

(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Matthew Lewis)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

   

Next In Tech News

Sirius XM found liable in New York lawsuit over subscription cancellations
US Supreme Court tosses case involving securities fraud suit against Facebook
Amazon doubles down on AI startup Anthropic with $4 billion investment
Factbox-Who are bankrupt Northvolt's creditors?
UK should use new powers to probe Apple-Google mobile browser duopoly, report says
EU regulators scrap probe into Apple's e-book rules after complaint was withdrawn
Hyundai recalls over 145,000 electrified US vehicles on loss of drive power
'World of Warcraft' still going strong as it celebrates 20 years
Northvolt CEO steps down, saying group needs up to $1.2 billion
Bitcoin at record highs, sets sights on $100,000

Others Also Read