Is Sam Bankman-Fried Going to Jail?

Federal prosecutors said they were “seeking detention” for Sam Bankman-Fried, asking a judge to revoke his bond after he shared documents with the New York Times that they allege were meant to harass a fellow executive from the FTX empire and potentially influence her testimony.

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The narrative

FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried appeared in court last week as prosecutors alleged he had “crossed a line” in sharing former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison’s private diary with the New York Times. The U.S. Department of Justice’s request is straightforward: It wants Bankman-Fried behind bars until his trial kicks off on Oct. 2.

Why it matters

We’re closely following Bankman-Fried’s journey through the U.S. legal system. Since his arrest, he’s been released on bond and able to live at his parents’ place. Prosecutors say he’s abused this privilege and should be detained until his trial, while his defense team says he has a First Amendment right to defend his reputation and respond to reporters.

Breaking it down

Last week, prosecutors told a federal judge they were “seeking detention” for Bankman-Fried. The defense objected that they had not been warned about the DOJ’s motion, and Judge Lewis Kaplan, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, ultimately chose to set a schedule for each party to file written submissions on the motion.

So the question remains: Will SBF go to jail ahead of his trial?

Prosecutors certainly hope so. The DOJ filed a letter Friday saying Bankman-Fried has now twice tried to interfere with witness testimony, saying he tried to tamper with general counsel at FTX.US in January before he “crossed a line” this month in sharing Ellison’s diary with the Times.

Mark Cohen, one of Bankman-Fried’s attorneys, said Bankman-Fried was merely asserting his First Amendment right to defend his reputation, adding that there have been a “million” negative articles about him and “thousands” of articles about his relationship with Ellison.

In a filing on Tuesday, he went further, alleging the DOJ had “mischaracterized” Bankman-Fried’s alleged witness…