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First Prison Photo of Sam Bankman-Fried Emerges: Bearded, Thin, and ‘Weird as Shit’

20 de Fevereiro de 2024, 13:14

Independent crypto journalist Tiffany Fong released what is believed to be the first photo of disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried in prison on Monday evening. In the photo, Bankman-Fried—who appears to have lost weight and grown out his facial hair—stands alongside five other inmates with his hands gently clutching one another.

The former CEO of crypto firm FTX and co-founder of trading firm Alameda Research has been living inside Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since August, when his bail was first revoked.He is currently awaiting sentencing after being found guilty on all seven charges related to the collapse of both firms, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, money laundering, and committed fraud.

Fong’s own rise to prominence came as Bankman-Fried’s empire began to collapse, when she secured one of the first interviews with the former FTX CEO in November 2022. She proceeded to interview Bankman-Fried more than 10 times while he was under house arrest, leading Rolling Stone to name her “The Crypto Whistleblower at the Center of the Sam Bankman-Fried Storm.”

In a video posted alongside the image, Fong said she obtained the photo of Bankman-Fried from one of the other men in the photo, who she referred to as “G Lock" and said was a "recent inmate." In an interview with Fong, G Lock said the photo was taken just before Christmas in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where the former crypto king is awaiting sentencing.

The interview provided a small window view into Bankman-Fried’s life in prison. G Lock said that Bankman-Friend has been not showering much, if at all, and had begun to look like a “toothpick” and “scruffier than a mother fucker.” However, he added,

Bankman-Fried had garnered a positive reputation during his short time around the other inmates. While “G Lock” did say Bankman-Friend was “weird as shit,” he added that he was considered a “good guy” that didn’t “snitch.” “Free Sam-Bankman,” G Lock said.

Fong said she plans to release a longer video interview with G Lock on her YouTube page later in the week.

X Suspends, Then Reinstates, Alexei Navalny’s Widow After Pledge to Continue Anti-Putin Politician’s Work

20 de Fevereiro de 2024, 10:54

On Tuesday X briefly suspended an account belonging to Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the Russian opposition politician Alexei Nalavalny, who died in prison last week.

Prior to the suspension, Navalnaya released a video on multiple social media platforms pledging to continue her late husband’s work to unseat Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the video, which advertised social media accounts on Instagram and X, Navalnaya said Putin was responsible for her husband’s death, and pledged to expose the full details.

“We will definitely find out who exactly and how exactly committed this crime,” she said. “We will tell you their names and show you their faces.”

“I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny. I will continue to fight for our country. And I encourage you to stand by my side,” she said.

Navalnaya’s account on Instagram, where she shared the video, stayed up. On X, however, her account was suspended, sparking concern and outrage among the site’s users early on Tuesday morning. Soon after, the account was reinstated.

It’s not clear why the account was suspended and quickly restored. A notice on the page said it was banned due to violating X’s rules, without specifying which ones.

Screenshot of Navalnaya's suspended X account at 8:25 AM EST.
Screenshot of Navalnaya's suspended X account at 8:25 AM EST.

This isn’t the first time X has experienced this kind of incident; last month, the accounts of numerous high-profile journalists and leftists who are critical of X owner Elon Musk and Israel were suspended without explanation. Those accounts were eventually reinstated, and Musk blamed the suspensions on the platform’s automated spam detection systems.

Navalnaya’s X account was brand new and quickly gained nearly 100,000 followers, which could conceivably trip a spam system that is operating without appropriate oversight. After Musk paid $44 billion for X in 2022, he slashed its staff, including its moderation teams.

At the time of writing, Musk’s latest tweet is a bad joke about “extra-slutty olive oil.” Motherboard received a boilerplate automated response email from X after reaching out for comment about Navalnaya’s account.

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