Former Alameda CEO Sighted in NYC; Wild Speculation Ensues

Former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison was allegedly spotted in New York City this morning. The crypto community has already begun spinning wild speculative narratives on what she could be up to.

Former CEO of the bankrupt FTX crypto exchange, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), has been speaking out publicly as of late. The crypto community and lawmakers want answers regarding alleged fraud committed by the exchange and its sister firm Alameda Research.

U.S. Representative Maxine Waters encouraged Bankman-Fried to appear at a scheduled U.S. House Committee on Financial Services hearing on Dec. 13 to discuss “what happened” at FTX.

However, in a Dec. 4 development, SBF indirectly dismissed the invitation to testify until he had “finished learning and reviewing what happened.”

Rep. Waters, and the House Committee on Financial Services:
Once I have finished learning and reviewing what happened, I would feel like it was my duty to appear before the committee and explain.
I’m not sure that will happen by the 13th. But when it does, I will testify. https://t.co/c0P8yKlyQt
— SBF (@SBF_FTX) December 4, 2022

This conversation stirred some reactions across crypto Twitter. Despite his multiple appearances on virtual mediums, most have criticized SBF for his unintentional “accounting error” claims.

Blockchain Association Head of Policy and U.S. Attorney Jake Chervinsky asserted:

Translation: he doesn’t mind lying to Andrew Ross Sorkin or George Stephanopoulos, but lying to Congress under oath is less appealing. https://t.co/DZTyzMwn9s
— Jake Chervinsky (@jchervinsky) December 4, 2022

Another piece of this sordid tale is Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Bankman-Fried’s trading fund, Alameda Research.

Caroline Ellison Out for Coffee

Speculation has run amok on SBF, but little was heard about Caroline Ellison until now. Twitter user Autism Capital tweeted on the morning of Dec. 5:

“PLEASE CONFIRM: A user claims they spotted Caroline Ellison at Ground Support Coffee on West Broad in SoHo Manhattan at 8:15 AM. This would mean she is not in Hong Kong and is in NY, not in custody.”

At the time of publishing, these are still unverified claims. Another Twitter account, Wall Street Silver, put forth speculation that Ellison was in town to seek an ‘immunity deal’ to testify against SBF.

Coming back to the USA right now would be incredibly stupid. From Hong Kong she could easily fight extradition for years or get to another safe country.
The only reason for her to be in NYC would be her lawyer has an immunity deal or a plea to one charge with minimum sentence.
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) December 5, 2022

The cafe in question is coincidentally near the U.S. Attorney’s office and the New York FBI headquarters.

These claims are all unconfirmed and conjecture at this point. Rumors of an SBF-Ellison love affair have also swirled, with some claiming that it may have been a part of the downfall of FTX.

Disclaimer

All the information contained on our website is published in good faith and for general information purposes only. Any action the reader takes upon the information found on our website is strictly at their own risk.

Source: https://beincrypto.com/former-alameda-ceo-sighted-nyc-crypto-community-erupts-speculation/