Deniz 
A representative for the imprisoned FTX founder claims that early Wednesday, federal authorities started the process of moving Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) to a different prison. The move tramples on his desire to remain in New York while he works on his appeal.
According to sources acquainted with the matter, SBF is most likely being transported from the Brooklyn, New York, prison to a federal detention institution in Mendota, California. SBF has spent exactly nine months in New York, without alteration in prison stay.
Bankman-Fried’s Relocation Details
Mendota has a minimum-security satellite camp and a medium-security jail, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. Right now, the facility holds 931 prisoners. Sam would get closer to his parents’ house near Stanford University with this prison move. The new prison cell is two and a half hours’ commute from home.
Declining to speak on Mr. Bankman-Fried, a Bureau of Prisons official cited “privacy, safety, and security reasons.”
Lewis A. Kaplan, the judge supervising SBF’s case, advised in a court filing on Wednesday afternoon that the Bureau of Prisons retain Bankman-Fried at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Earlier, SBF said he wanted to stay at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), a mixed-security New York jail. He said that keeping access to the legal team working on his appeal would be simpler.
The Wall Street Journal earlier revealed SBF’s relocation.
Background on Charges and Sentence
Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in jail in March 2024 for scamming lenders, investors, and FTX clients. Considered one of the biggest financial scams in American history.
Related: Sam Bankman-Fried Blames Others, Insists He’s Not a Criminal
Charges against Bankman-Fried included two counts of securities fraud and commodities fraud conspiracies, two counts of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy, and one count of money laundering conspiracy.
According to prosecutors, he ran a years-long fraud, drawing $8 billion from client accounts. SBF bought luxury real estate, funded venture capital projects, and made political contributions using the money he pilfered.
Bankman-Fried was given bail following the decision and restricted to his parents’ house in Northern California. Judge Kaplan claimed he had sought to threaten a witness, therefore reversing his bail in August. Bankman-Fried has only stayed at the Metropolitan Detention Center since then.