Winklevoss Urges Scrutiny of FTX and SBF Political Donations

Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss has called for a renewed investigation into the dropped campaign finance charges against Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted founder of the now-defunct FTX exchange.

Winklevoss emphasized the need for the incoming US Attorney General to address unresolved concerns about how these charges, tied to election interference involving stolen customer funds, were handled.

Winklevoss Demands Probe Into FTX-Linked Election Interference Accusations

In a November 23 post on X, Winklevoss expressed the belief that the campaign finance allegations remain a critical issue. He pointed to the Department of Justice under Merrick Garland, which declined to pursue these charges due to extradition technicalities with the Bahamian government.

According to Winklevoss, the DOJ chose not to work through the required legal processes to include the campaign finance violations in the indictment, leaving the matter unaddressed.

“Merrick Garland’s DOJ refused to pursue campaign finance charges against SBF because they were not included in his extradition…Since when has paperwork stood in between a prosecutor and adding more charges? Especially when it involves election interference with $100m of stolen customer funds,” Winklevoss stated.

Federal prosecutors initially dropped the campaign finance charge last year, attributing their decision to objections from Bahamian authorities. This charge involved over $100 million allegedly funneled from Alameda Research to fund more than 300 political contributions.

According to the indictment, these contributions, often made through straw donors or corporate funds, aimed to enhance Bankman-Fried’s influence in Washington, D.C.

The indictment also noted that Bankman-Fried became a top political donor in the 2022 midterm elections. He allegedly used the funds to gain favor with candidates across party lines, potentially shaping legislation favorable to FTX and the broader crypto industry.

Winklevoss’ remarks come as other key figures in the FTX collapse face their consequences. While Caroline Ellison and Ryan Salame received sentences of two years and 7.5 years, respectively, Gary Wang and Nishad Singh avoided prison by cooperating with prosecutors. Bankman-Fried is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for fraud and other crimes.

Meanwhile, FTX has announced plans to implement its approved reorganization strategy starting in January. The exchange’s bankruptcy managers have recovered billions of dollars for creditors and are intensifying efforts to reclaim assets held by other entities.