DOJ Wants Sam Bankman-Fried Bribes, FTX Sues

Sam Bankman-Fried is behind bars.

But that doesn’t mean the US Department of Justice (DOJ) isn’t still after him.

In this case, they’re intensifying their efforts to seize cryptocurrency assets still linked to Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the former CEO of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX. 

The urgency couldn’t be due to the fact that, amid the ongoing crypto renaissance, those assets have doubled in value since they were last touched, could it?

Let’s take a look.

A Bribe Gone Bad

In November 2021, Sam Bankman-Fried allegedly authorized a $40M bribe to Chinese officials to unfreeze approximately $1B in crypto assets on two Chinese exchanges. 

Following the unfreezing, additional cryptocurrency payments were reportedly made to complete the bribe.

About $8.6M of that alleged bribe eventually wound up in a Binance exchange account. The same account contains various cryptocurrencies, including Solana ($SOL), Cardano ($ADA), Ripple ($XRP), Internet Computer ($IC), and Avalanche ($AVAX). 

Fast forward to the present, and these assets have appreciated from ~$8.6M in December 2023 to ~$17.9M at the time of the filing.

Nearly $9M of that total comes from 43,137 $SOL held in the account, highlighting Solana’s very good 2024.

Now, the DOJ wants it – and the fact that the assets in the account have doubled might be adding fuel to their fire.

DOJ, FTX, and Binance All Involved in Lawsuits

FTX, which filed for bankruptcy in November 2022, has been working under new leadership to repay its creditors. 

A reorganization plan (approved in October 2024) aims to repay 98% of creditors at least 118% of their claim value in cash. 

Additionally, FTX has initiated multiple lawsuits to recover funds lost during its collapse. This includes a recent lawsuit against Binance and its former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, seeking $1.76B for alleged fraudulent transfers.

FTX alleges that Binance and Zhao sold shares of FTX’s international division back to SBF despite FTX being ‘balance-sheet insolvent’ at the time.

Because of its insolvency, the Debtor Plaintiff’s July 2021 transfer of at least $1.76 billion worth of cryptocurrency to its equity holder Binance and certain Binance executives, in the form of a share repurchase, was a constructive fraudulent transfer…

US District Court, Southern District of New York

It seems unlikely that FTX will get $1.7B out of Binance – but Delaware bankruptcy court filings are part of FTX’s plan to resolve its debts.

Meanwhile, the FTX Fallout Continues

Even with Sam Bankman-Fried behind bars for the next 25 years (supposedly), the FTX fallout will take years to work out.

Crypto’s total market cap currently sits at $2.9T, above the all-time highs set back in 2021.

That increase, coupled with a crypto economy offering increasingly sophisticated investment tools like ETFs, raises the stakes for all parties involved in the FTX fallout.

And it underscores the ongoing legal and financial repercussions stemming from FTX’s collapse.

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Aaron covers crypto topics with an emphasis on providing accessible, informative perspectives. His background includes over a decade in higher education and 5+ years as a freelance writer in crypto & SEO.
When he’s not writing professionally, Aaron enjoys writing for fun, volunteering for a local charity, and boxing.

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