Bankman-Fried’s Parents Face Physical Threats, According to His Lawyers

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The parents of Sam Bankman-Fried have been receiving physical threats following the downfall of their son’s now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange, according to his attorneys on Tuesday.

This revelation was included in a filing made in Manhattan federal court, where the lawyers requested that the identities of two additional sureties for Bankman-Fried’s $250 million bond remain confidential.

Since the terms of his bail were established, Bankman-Fried has been living with his parents, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, under electronic monitoring.

In the court filing, his attorneys noted that the parents have recently faced severe media attention, harassment, and threats. They reported a continuous flow of threatening messages directed at them, including those wishing for their physical harm.

Given these circumstances, the lawyers expressed "serious cause for concern" that other sureties might encounter similar invasions of privacy, threats, and harassment, justifying the need for confidentiality over any public right to access their identities.

Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried are both professors at Stanford Law School. They have co-signed their son’s bond, while the additional sureties have provided separate bonds in lesser amounts.

Bankman-Fried is anticipated to plead not guilty to criminal charges on Tuesday. He faces allegations of defrauding investors and misappropriating billions at FTX, reportedly using customer deposits to prop up his Alameda Research hedge fund, purchase real estate, and make substantial political donations.