Bahamian authorities say former FTX chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried has been extradited to the US to face criminal charges.
The Bahamas’ attorney general’s office said on Wednesday that Bankman-Fried would be leaving for the United States, where he faces criminal charges related to the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, and noted he had waived his right to challenge the extradition.
Reporters on the scene witnessed Bankman-Fried leaving a Magistrate Court in Nassau in a dark SUV.
The vehicle was later seen arriving at a private airfield by Nassau’s airport, from which he is expected to be flown to the US.
He is due to land at Westchester County Airport in New York and will likely appear in front of a US judge on Thursday.
Bahamian authorities arrested Bankman-Fried last week at the request of the US government.
US prosecutors allege he played a central role in the rapid collapse of FTX and hid its problems from the public and investors.
The Securities and Exchange Commission said Bankman-Fried illegally used investors’ money to buy real estate on behalf of himself and his family.
The 30-year-old could potentially spend the rest of his life in jail.
Bankman-Fried was denied bail on Friday after a Bahamian judge ruled that he posed a flight risk.
Once back in the US, Bankman-Fried’s attorney will be able to request that he be released on bail.
Meanwhile, two associates of his pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange in cooperation deals in the US.
