US prosecutors said FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried used a virtual private network (VPN) to access the Internet on January 3rd. 29 and Feb. 12, according to Feb. 13 Letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan.
Prosecutors said SBF’s VPN use is concerning because the mechanism can mask online activities, transmit data, and access the dark web. They added that some individuals use VPNs to access foreign crypto exchanges that block US users.
However, the plaintiffs acknowledged that many individuals use the services for “benign purposes”.
Prosecutors added that SBF attorneys mitigated the concerns and agreed that the defendant would not use VPNs in the meantime.
SBF lawyers respond
Meanwhile, SBF lawyers said the disgraced founder only used a VPN to watch NFL games and the Super Bowl via an international subscription he bought when he was in the Bahamas.
“On January 29, 2023, watch the AFC and NFC Championship games and on February 12, watch the Super Bowl. This VPN use does not include any of the concerns the government raised in its letter.”
The attorneys also supported the US government’s request to extend arguments on the federal government’s bail terms until February 4th. 17.
SBF was recently banned from contacting FTX employees and using temporary messaging services such as Signal.