Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison
Sam Bankman-Fried, who was convicted of stealing $8 billion from customers of his FTX cryptocurrency exchange, was sentenced to 25 years in prison. It was a significantly lighter sentence than the maximum sentence of 110 years on his indictment, but well above the six and a half years his lawyers had sought. Bankman-Fried was also ordered to forfeit $11.2 billion in assets.
The conviction marked the finale of a sweeping fraud case that exposed greed and risk-taking in the loosely regulated world of cryptocurrencies. In November 2022, FTX imploded virtually overnight, wiping out $8 billion in customer savings. At a trial last fall, Bankman-Fried was convicted of seven counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.
His sentence ranks as one of the longest imposed on a white-collar defendant in recent years. Bankman-Fried has vowed to appeal his conviction. But in his comments after receiving his sentence yesterday in New York City, he appeared to accept that he would spend some time in prison.
“After all, my useful life is probably over now,” he said.
Why Russia failed to prevent the attack in Moscow
In the days before the attack on a concert hall near Moscow, which left at least 143 dead, Russia received a warning from the US, but the security service did not intervene.
U.S. and European officials, security experts and analysts said the security failure was due to a combination of factors. One was that Russia’s counterterrorism efforts have been spread too thin. Where once the counter-terrorism division of the country’s Federal Security Service pursued extremists, it now targets political opponents of President Vladimir Putin and other Kremlin critics, LGBTQ rights activists and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
A grim milestone: Today marks the first anniversary of the arrest in Russia of Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal. His detention on espionage charges has just been extended by three months.
Valerie Hopkins, who covers Russia for The Times, told us that Putin is practicing “transactional diplomacy,” adding that in an interview with Tucker Carlson, Putin “made it very clear that he specifically wants to trade Evan for Vadim Krasikov, a killer. connected to the security services.”
Health risks for children at the US border are increasing
The capacity of U.S. immigration processing centers is strained and migrants, including unaccompanied children, are waiting for hours — sometimes days — in outdoor areas. These locations do not provide shelter, meals, or medical care, and the lack of basic infrastructure has raised public health concerns for the most vulnerable.
a A judge in California could decide today whether the US has a legal obligation to shelter and feed the children while they wait. Our reporter Emily Baumgaertner visited five migrant camps along the US-Mexico border in California and wrote about the circumstances.
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A live stream has been set up in the Netherlands to help river fish migrate. Anyone who sees a fish in the feed can press a button – a doorbell, if you will – which alerts an employee. The worker will then open a dam to allow the fish to enter shallower water where it can spawn. Devotees welcome the distraction and the chance to help a fish frolic.
Lives lived: Joseph Lieberman was a four-term senator and Al Gore’s running mate in the 2000 presidential election. He died at the age of 82.
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Video game adventures for your heart
For your gaming pleasure this weekend, we offer you a series of video game recommendations that will fill you with emotions.
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In Open roadsa single mother and her feisty teenage daughter go on a road trip after the death of a loved one. This five-hour interactive drama with humorous accents stands out above a Lifetime movie.
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Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons remake star siblings who have just lost their mother. They must work closely together to embark on a perilous journey to find a cure for their ailing father. The remake tells the same devastatingly surprising story as the original.
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In Banishers: Spirits of New Edentwo ghost hunters must do their dangerous work while making moral choices about life and death. The sturdy, plaintive story is sometimes reminiscent of the romance of Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Our writer said that the narrative effects in these games may even bring you to tears a little. But you will feel good about it.