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Coinbase narrows subpoena, wants Gensler’s emails during time as SEC Chair

Coinbase initially demanded a subpoena into Gary Gensler’s private communications before his time as SEC Chair but has changed tactics in its latest letter to the judge.

Crypto exchange Coinbase has shifted tactics amid its effort to subpoena the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler — and is now seeking his private communications only while serving as Chair.

Coinbase’s lawyers initially argued that access to Gensler’s private chats — both before and during his tenure as SEC Chair — was an “appropriate source of discovery” to mount their defense in the securities regulator’s lawsuit against them.

But a July 15 filing states Coinbase is now going to seek access to Gensler’s communications during his time as SEC Chair after Judge Katherine Polk Failla showed a reluctance to accept Coinbase’s request last week:

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SEC Lawyers Resign After Judge Sanctions the Regulator for ‘Gross Abuse of Power’

SEC Lawyers Resign After Judge Sanctions the Regulator for ‘Gross Abuse of Power’Two lead attorneys for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the case against crypto firm Debt Box have reportedly resigned. This followed a federal judge sanctioning the SEC for its “gross abuse of power” after the agency made “materially false and misleading representations” in its lawsuit against the cryptocurrency firm. Lead Attorneys in […]

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Former Ethereum dev Virgil Griffith asks for resentencing in North Korea case

Griffith’s attorneys are asking for a sentence reduction from 63 months to 51 months or less.

Former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith, who was handed a 63-month prison term in 2022 for assisting North Korea in using blockchain technology, has requested a sentence reduction. 

The plea was made in a letter from Glen Garrett McGorty, an attorney representing Virgil Griffith, to Judge Kevin Castel of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on April 17.

The letter requests that the court revise Griffith’s sentence based on newly enacted revisions to U.S. sentencing guidelines, which provide a two-point offense level reduction for certain “zero-point” offenders.

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Ex-FTX execs team up to build new crypto exchange 12 months after FTX collapse: Report

The cryptocurrency exchanges offers a self-custody solution that integrates a multiparty computation technique to secure funds.

Several former FTX executives have teamed up to help build a new cryptocurrency exchange in Dubai with a specific focus on what FTX failed to do — secure customer funds.

Ex-FTX lawyer Can Sun is leading the way with Trek Labs, a Dubai-based startup that received a license to offer cryptocurrency services in the region in late October. Backpack Exchange is the name under which Trek Labs will offer those services.

Sun will receive support from ex-FTX employee, Armani Ferrante, who serves as CEO of Trek’s holding company in the British Virgin Islands, according to a Nov. 11 report by the Wall Street Journal. Ferrante also runs Backpack, a cryptocurrency wallet which is integrated in Backpack Exchange.

Sun’s former legal deputy at FTX, Claire Zhang, who is also Ferrante’s wife, is also on Trek’s executive team. However, once Trek raises an investment round, Zhang plans to transition out of the company as she has been working without pay to “help bootstrap the exchange," WSJ said.

Sun and Ferrante iterated they wanted to use the lessons learned from FTX’s failure to protect customer funds. Backpack’s technology offers a self-custody solution which integrates a multiparty computation (MPC) technique to ensure funds remain secure. MPC typically involves several parties approving a transaction before funds are moved.

It will also enable Backpack customers to verify funds whenever they want, Sun told WSJ:

“In a post-FTX world, you need trust and transparency to create a true alternative to the other players.”

Backpack Exchange is currently in beta and a wider launch will come later this month, the firm said.

Sun was a witness at Bankman-Fried’s recent fraud trial where he revealed that the former FTX CEO turned to him seeking a legal justification as to why FTX’s funds were at Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried was convicted on all seven fraud-related charges.

Related: How long could Sam Bankman-Fried go to jail for? Crypto lawyers weigh in

Sun said he quit as FTX’s general counsel the day after Bankman-Fried told him about the use of customer money.

“This went against everything that I stood for and was represented to me by Sam.”

Bankman-Fried’s former empire commingled billions of dollars of customer funds through Alameda Research for investment purposes. About $9 billion in customer funds went missing.

Magazine: Deposit risk: What do crypto exchanges really do with your money?

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An SBF Testimony Could Add ‘Decades’ to His Prison Sentence, According to Lawyer – Here’s Why

An SBF Testimony Could Add ‘Decades’ to His Prison Sentence, According to Lawyer – Here’s Why

A pair of lawyers unaffiliated with Sam Bankman-Fried or FTX are weighing in on the possibility of the former CEO testifying during his ongoing trial. In a new interview with Laura Shin on the Unchained Podcast, Sam Enzer, partner at law firm Cahill Gordon and Reindel, says he thinks Bankman-Fried would likely only make things […]

The post An SBF Testimony Could Add ‘Decades’ to His Prison Sentence, According to Lawyer – Here’s Why appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

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SBF seeks to probe FTX lawyers’ roles in $200M Alameda loans

Sam Bankman-Fried’s legal team is seeking permission to cross-examine Gary Wang over FTX lawyers' involvement in Alameda loan approvals.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s legal team is looking for permission to probe the alleged involvement of FTX lawyers in the issuance of $200 million worth of loans from Alameda that were approved by Gary Wang.

As previously reported in the build-up to the highly anticipated trial, an Oct. 1 court ruling provisionally barred Bankman-Fried from apportioning blame to FTX lawyers who were allegedly involved in structuring and approving loans between Alameda and FTX.

United States Judge Lewis Kaplan granted the government’s motion and ruled that Bankman-Fried's legal team would have to request permission to make any mention of FTX lawyers' involvement throughout the trial.

Related: SBF’s Alameda minted $38B USDT to profit off arbitrage trading: Coinbase director

Following the initial cross-examination of former FTX co-founder Gary Wang by the prosecution on Oct. 9, the defense is now seeking permission to question Wang over the alleged involvement of FTX counsel in structuring loans issued to FTX by Alameda.

A letter filed on Oct. 9 highlighted the government’s questioning of Wang over a series of personal loans worth up to $300 million from Alameda that FTX used to fund venture investments. Wang had also used some of the funds to purchase a home in the Bahamas.

During the prosecution's line of inquiry, Wang said that either Bankman-Fried or FTX lawyers had presented him with loans which he was then directed to sign.

Bankman-Fried’s attorneys argue that the prosecution has already established that FTX lawyers were present and involved in structuring and executing the loans and intend to carry out their own line of questioning over the scope of FTX counsel involvement.

A screenshot of the defense's letter requesting permission to question Gary Wang over the involvement of FTX lawyers in the structuring of loans to Alameda and senior executives. Source: Court Listener.

The defense adds that it could potentially introduce promissory notes that memorialized the loans to Wang, who has previously indicated to the prosecution in proffer meetings that he did not suspect FTX lawyers would coerce him to sign illegal agreements:

“Mr. Wang's understanding that these were actual loans - structured by lawyers and memorialized in formal promissory notes that imposed real interest payment obligations - is relevant to rebut the inference that these were simply sham loans directed by Mr. Bankman-Fried to conceal the source of the funds.”

Cointelegraph journalist Ana Paula Pereira is on the ground in New York covering the trial of Bankman-Fried. Her latest report from the Federal District Court in Manhattan highlights the defense's efforts to paint Bankman-Fried as a young entrepreneur who tripped up amid the rapid growth of FTX and Alameda.

Magazine: Can you trust crypto exchanges after the collapse of FTX?

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US Government Slams Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers for Proposed Questions to Court Jurors

US Government Slams Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers for Proposed Questions to Court Jurors

The US Government is countering the attorneys of former FTX chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried, saying that they’re asking jurors “unnecessarily intrusive” questions. In a new filing, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers proposed asking jurors various questions, such as if they’ve ever heard of the former CEO or his companies, formed opinions on him or the businesses or if […]

The post US Government Slams Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers for Proposed Questions to Court Jurors appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

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Defense Lawyers for Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Granted Unlimited Prison Visitation

Defense Lawyers for Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Granted Unlimited Prison Visitation

The defense attorneys for disgraced former FTX chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried are being granted unlimited access to their client in prison. In a recent filing, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan says he is granting Bankman-Fried’s lawyers limitless access to meet with him while he’s in jail awaiting his trial in October as long as a 48-hour […]

The post Defense Lawyers for Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Granted Unlimited Prison Visitation appeared first on The Daily Hodl.

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FTX bankruptcy will be ‘very expensive’ but there’s a reason: Auditor

The legal fees charged in the first months of FTX’s bankruptcy have been examined by an auditor, who has confirmed the case is “on track to be very expensive.”

Fees charged by the lawyers and the restructuring team working on the bankrupt crypto exchange FTX have topped $200 million in just over seven months, but an independent auditor argues it makes sense, given the mammoth task.

On June 20 the court-appointed fee examiner, Katherine Stadler, filed a 47-page report on the fees charged by the law firms in the roughly three months following FTX’s Nov. 11 bankruptcy and concluded they were not “wholly unreasonable in the moment.”

She remarked on the “largely unregulated financial system” in which FTX operates, adding the case was “remarkable” for the exchange’s “global scope, the complete absence of corporate records, and the non-existence of even the most basic corporate governance.”

Stadler confirmed the team working on FTX had “requested more than $200 million in fees” since its November bankruptcy, adding:

“Notwithstanding the relative scope of the known asset pool, these proceedings appear on track to be very expensive by any measure.”

She gave a glowing review of the FTX restructuring team, saying she was “struck” by those who “sprung into action” to “begin transforming a smoldering heap of wreckage.”

“The fees incurred to date are remarkable, but so is the professionals’ performance.”

“Very few firms could have accomplished what these professionals accomplished in 90 days,” Stadler added.

Charging by the hour

Stadler’s report broke down the fees charged by the law firms in the first weeks after FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

It said hourly rates for the 242 lawyers on the case ranged from $388 to $2,165 and 46 lawyers were on more than $2,000 an hour.

Related: Realtor may have accepted $3M for SBF-linked house in Washington DC

New York-based law firm Sullivan & Cromwell has walked away with the biggest paycheck, having charged around $42 million in fees and expenses over that time.

Consultants Alvarez & Marshal were next in line, pocketing over $28 million in fees and expenses.

Previously, Cointelegraph analyzed the billings of the five firms involved in the proceedings and found they collectively invoiced over $100 million in the first quarter of 2023.

Stadler added some advice, saying “careful stewardship of administrative expenses will translate to a better outcome for creditors” along with a “cost-conscious and cost-effective” Chapter 11 process.

Hall of Flame: Peter McCormack’s Twitter regrets — ‘I can feel myself being a dick’

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NBA Hall of Famer Shaq Served in FTX Investor Suit

NBA Hall of Famer Shaq Served in FTX Investor SuitA law firm representing FTX investors has served former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal in a class-action case against celebrities who endorsed the failed crypto exchange. The lawsuit accuses Shaq, along with other public figures and the platform’s founder, of defrauding people who put money into FTX. Shaquille Served Legal Notice in FTX Lawsuit Outside His […]

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