Extra: In Bankman-Fried Trial China Bribe Described $100 Million to CCP Officials Trabucco in Loop - more here

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by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Oct 11 –   For US v Bankman-Fried, after more than a day of jury selection, late morning on October 4 the twelve and six alternate were selected. Inner City Press live tweeted the voir dire here and more below

With Caroline Ellison on the witness stand on Wednesday, October 11 questioning turned to FTX's China bribe. Inner City Press live tweeted thread:

AUSA: Did you speak in coded terms?

Ellison: Yes. When we gave a large bribe to China - our accounts were frozen in a money laundering investigation.

AUSA: How much was frozen in China? Ellison: $1 billion. Sam wanted to find ways to address it. 

AUSA: How were they unfrozen? Ellison: Alameda paid a bribe to Chinese government officials SBF: Objection, move to strike. Judge Kaplan: I will strike that

 AUSA: OK, who was involved? Ellison: Constance, and David Ma AUSA: Why were they involved?

 Ellison: They were Chinese. We tried to hire a lawyer there. It didn't work. We used other people's accounts. Ryan Salame told me. But it didn't work either

 Ellison: David Ma said we should try his way to unfreeze the accounts. Sam agreed. But Handi  disagreed.  Sam told her to shut the f*ck up.
AUSA: What did you think Ma's way was?

SBF's lawyer Cohen: Objection! Calls for speculation. Judge Kaplan: Sustained.

Ellison: Sam said Ma had found a way to get our accounts unfrozen, if we just sent to these crypto addresses, $100 million... Thai prostitutes...  It was November of 2021.

SBF and Ellison composite by Elizabeth Williams, courtesy to Inner City Press

AUSA: Did you know who the recipient was? Ellison: No AUSA: Did you have a belief? SBF's lawyer: Objection! Sidebar

After sidebar: Judge Kaplan: Jurors, the defendant is not charged in this case with bribery of Chinese officials [Inner City Press note: Thanks to Bahamas]

Judge: It is offered for motive. W AUSA: How were you told to pay? Ellison: Signal, with Sam Trabucco

 Ellison: There was talk about the FCPA AUSA: What's that? SBF's lawyer Cohen: Objection!

Judge Kaplan: FCPA is not charged here.  Ellison: It's the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

AUSA: What's in this chat? Ellison: Sam wrote that Handi was being "pretty shitty." Then Sam Trabucco asked, Did her father just turn us in. Sam replied, LOL.

AUSA: What's that? Ellison: Laughing out loud.

AUSA: Here you wrote, Negative $150 million from the thing - what was the thing?

Ellison: The bribe to China

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