Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss has asked for a new investigation into the dismissed campaign finance charges against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. Bankman was sentenced to 25 years in March for his involvement in what prosecutors called one of the biggest financial frauds in US history.
However, some, like Winklevoss, believe there are still many unresolved issues with the FTX fraud case despite the CEO’s sentencing.
Cameron Winklevoss thinks the DOJ could have handled the FTX investigation better
Cameron Winklevoss wants the US Department of Justice to reinvestigate the dismissed FTX campaign finance charges.
In an X post on November 23, Winklevoss claimed that the DOJ “refused” to follow up on campaign finance charges against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried due to its extradition agreement with the Bahamian government.
According to Winklevoss, the DOJ consented only to extradite SBF on non-campaign-related charges instead of addressing the complications with the Bahamian government.
He remarked:
Instead of working with the Bahamian government to fill out the necessary paperwork and overcome this technicality so that they could prosecute SBF on election interference, Garland’s DOJ threw their hands up in the air and dropped the charges.
~Cameron Winklevoss
He added that paperwork should never stand in the way of a prosecutor, particularly when the charges involve election interference using $100 million in stolen customer funds.
Winklevoss also called out the DOJ for its hypocrisy, claiming that when given the opportunity, they should defend democracy instead of constantly discussing its importance without acting on it.
Federal prosecutors alleged Bankman transferred over $100 million from Alameda Research
Bankman-Fried allegedly funneled over $100 million from Alameda Research into more than 300 political donations, often through straw donors or corporate means. He is believed to have used the transferred funds to curry favor with candidates across party lines, hoping to increase his influence in Washington, D.C., and sway legislation decisions that could have affected the entire crypto industry.
However, prosecutors dropped the campaign finance charges in 2023, citing difficulties with the Bahamian authorities.
In another post, Cameron Winklevoss insisted that the public had a right to know why the campaign finance charges were dismissed and how the funds were used to support Democratic campaigns. Cameron’s post invited many more commentaries, with one X user, Nguyễn Minh Quân (@theUxBlockChain), even stating that dropping charges on high-profile cases could diminish trust in public offices.
Another user even claimed that the charges were dismissed because the political recipients of Bankman’s funds did not want to get implicated.
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