Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has reportedly turned gangster, according to inside reports from his Brooklyn prison. The former FTX CEO is hardly showering but seems to have acquired a crew, according to ex-blood gang member G Lock.
G Lock told crypto reporter Tiffany Fong that he considers Bankman-Fried “strange” but a good guy.
According to G Lock, Bankman-Fried was not showering or shaving but, otherwise, was faring pretty well. He hadn’t been intimidated or subject to serious violence during his time at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, the ex-gang member said.
Read more: Who Is Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the Infamous FTX Co-Founder?
G Lock added that Bankman-Fried had become more gangster than a famous American rapper. Fong, a crypto social media reporter whom SBF granted an exclusive interview with SBF before his trial, said he had also been subject to roasting by former inmates. They mocked his relationship with Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of crypto hedge fund Alameda Research.
“Sam is more gangster than Tekashi Six Nine,” G Lock said.
Fong interviewed Bankman-Fried after his crypto exchange, FTX, collapsed in November 2022. In the interview, Bankman-Fried divulged his version of what caused the exchange to collapse. FTX was located in the Bahamas, where authorities first apprehended the former crypto boss.
Following his arrest, Bankman-Fried had reportedly lived in a luxurious Bahamian jail with vegan food, air conditioning, and television. After his deportation to the US, he spent some time in prison before securing a $250 million bond to move to his parents’ home.
He later moved to the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center following alleged witness tampering. Here, he failed to secure release while awaiting his criminal trial and reportedly shared crypto tips with correctional officers. A former inmate described him as a shy man in poor health from whom fellow inmates demanded money.
A jury convicted Bankman-Fried of fraud and money laundering charges in November. A judge could reduce his maximum sentence of 110 years if crypto prices increase the restitution to FTX customers. The judge will only consider such mitigations, if repaid FTX customers lost money before SBF’s crimes.
Outside the jail, authorities are investigating Bahamian bank Deltec for offering Bankman-Fried a loan to buy Tether Holdings. If such allegations prove true, it would mean that Bankman-Fried had a tighter web of partners than previously thought.
BeInCrypto contacted Fong for comments but did not hear back at publication time.