The crypto tycoon's relationships with other powerful figures are in the spotlight during the ongoing trial. SBF is currently facing charges related to conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly misrepresenting FTX to investors.
Here's how 31-year-old SBF persuaded celebrities and political powerhouses to support his business.
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Court documents released in October during Bankman-Freed's criminal trial describe Bankman-Freed attending a private dinner hosted by Kaibs in Los Angeles in early 2022. Attendees included Perry, Jeff Bezos, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kendall and Kris Jenner. In Bankman Fried's memo, obtained by the court, he described Kaibs as “probably the most connected person I've ever met.”
The New York Times also details how Bankman-Fried spent time with Perry, Bloom and others at a party at Kuibus' Beverly Hills home days before the 2022 Super Bowl. mentioned. The publication reports that Perry gave a performance during a karaoke session that included lyrics about FTX. The next day, she joked on Instagram that she was quitting her music to become an intern at FTX.
Perry, Bloom, and Hudson were then spotted with Bankman Fried at the 2022 NFL Super Bowl. Perry recently posted a photo of the group used in the SBF trial on his Instagram page. As photos were shown to jurors, former FTX chief engineer Nishad Singh told how SBF spent millions of dollars on celebrity endorsements.
That meeting in the Bahamas
During SBF's downfall, one event in particular made headlines multiple times: his four-day crypto conference in April 2022.
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Mr. Perry and Mr. Bloom attended the meeting at the Baha Mar Resort in Nassau, Bahamas. They were regularly seen having dinner with former crypto chiefs and other influential figures such as Bill Clinton, Brady and Bundchen.
Clinton attended a panel discussion with the FTX founder and reportedly received about $250,000 in fees to speak at the conference. The former US president's support has been credited as a major credit for making FTX a global success. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also attended.
SBF was subsequently invited to speak at the annual Clinton Global Initiative in New York, a clear endorsement from Clinton and seen as an important boost to Bankman Freed's profile. .
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen's deep ties to FTX
FTX also signed formal endorsement deals with celebrities such as Larry David, Brady, and Bündchen. SBF and Bündchen spoke about their philanthropy at a Bahamas conference, and the supermodel posed with him in an FTX ad campaign that appeared in Vogue and GQ. The exact financial details of Mr. Brady and Mr. Bündchen's contracts vary, with some news outlets saying they were paid US$50 million in stock for their recommendations.
Bundchen spoke about SBF's celebrity connections in an April cover interview with Vanity Fair. She revealed to the magazine that she was “blinded” by the FTX implosion. “I'm no different than everyone else who believed the hype,” she said, adding that she supports authorities investigating those involved in FTX's downfall.
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SBF defeats Anna Wintour
In his book on FTX Going Infinite: The rise and fall of the new tycoon Author Michael Lewis detailed the events between fashion icon Anna Wintour and SBF. Apparently, Wintour's team was angry when the FTX co-founder rejected his Met Gala invitation.
According to the book, Winter had a Zoom meeting with SBF on February 14, 2022, where she personally invited him to the event. However, SBF was playing a video game throughout the call and said “yes” without paying attention to everything Wintour said, including her suggestion that she finance the lavish evening entirely.
