Before the fall of his FTX empire in 2022, which resulted in his arrest on federal fraud charges, Sam Bankman-Fried reportedly met with four members of President Joe Biden‘s cabinet.
According to a recent report by Bloomberg, on September 8, the discredited “Crypto King,” who is at the center of one of the biggest financial frauds in American history, sat down with senior White House advisor Steve Ricchetti.
Sam allegedly met with Ricchetti twice in follow-up sessions on April 22 and May 12. He apparently also spoke with Bruce Reed, Biden’s deputy chief of staff. What was discussed at any of the gatherings is unclear.
Bankman-Fried was detained in the Bahamas on December 12 as we previously reported. In New York, he was charged on eight counts with wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, and a breach of campaign financing laws. If convicted, he may spend up to 115 years behind bars.
Before Sam was accused of stealing $1.8 billion from investors in his cryptocurrency scheme, the Bloomberg piece is just one more illustration of Bankman-close Fried’s links to the Washington, D.C., elite.Â
And it’s no secret that Sam contributed a significant amount of money to the campaigns of well-known politicians, including Biden.
The $5.2 million that Biden received from the founder of FTX for his bid for the presidency in 2020 was not disclosed by the White House, though.
