Reported by: Daniel Van Boom

Before his precipitous fall from grace, Sam Bankman-Fried was crypto’s friendly face. His persona wasn’t just for customer consumption, but was also aimed at lawmakers. He lobbied politicians across both parties with his air of technocratic competence, and tens of millions of dollars in donations.

Now, months after the company went bankrupt, FTX’s debtors want those donations back. In a press release issued on Sunday, the crypto exchange’s debtors announced they’re sending confidential letters to politicians and political action funds seeking the return of donations made by Bankman-Fried and other FTX personnel.

Those same debtors previously estimated that Bankman-Fried dropped $93 million in political donations. FTX’s debtors are at present relying on donations to be returned voluntarily, but say they “reserve the right to commence actions before the Bankruptcy Court” to force the funds’ return. 

Bankman-Fried was the Democrats’ second largest donor between 2020 and 2022, contributing over $37 million towards the blue party’s election efforts, according to fund-tracking website Open Secrets.

Read full report: https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/sbf-donated-millions-to-politicians-now-ftx-wants-that-money-back/