--- title: "Caroline Ellison Says Sam Bankman-Fried “Directed” Her to Commit Crimes" description: "Caroline Ellison, the ex-girlfriend of FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, clearly came to court with guns blazing." date: "2023-10-10" modified: "2023-10-10" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/caroline-ellison-sbf-directed-crimes" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Future Society" tags: - "caroline ellison" - "ftx" - "sbf" - "the digest" --- # Caroline Ellison Says Sam Bankman-Fried “Directed” Her to Commit Crimes ![Caroline Ellison, the ex-girlfriend of FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, clearly came to court with guns blazing.]() *Sam Bankman-Fried's former girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, walks through security at Manhattan Federal Court on October 10, 2023, in New York, during the fraud trial against the FTX founder. Bankman-Fried, 31, once one of the most respected figures in crypto, now faces decades in prison and could see his name stand alongside Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes as the era's most prominent fraudsters. Bankman-Fried faces seven counts including wire fraud, securities and commodities fraud, and money laundering. He risks more than 100 years behind bars if he is found guilty on all charges. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) \Image: BRYAN R. SMITH via Getty Images\* ## Et Tu, Caroline? Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research and ex-girlfriend of FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, came to court with guns blazing as she began her testimony against her erstwhile boss-slash-lover. As the [*Wall Street Journal* reports](), Ellison told the court at the start of her testimony that SBF ordered her to illegally doctor Alameda's finance documents. "He directed me to commit these crimes," the youthful trader, who [pleaded guilty to her own spate of financial crimes](), told prosecutors. As [*Coindesk* added in its own live coverage]() of the trial, Ellison also said she "sent balance sheets at the direction of Sam that made Alameda's balances look less risky to investors." To make the appearance all the more theatrical, Ellison apparently took her time to find Bankman-Fried when asked to identify him in the courtroom. "Everyone in the overflow room I was with was laughing in disbelief," [*The Block*'s Zack Abrams tweeted]() of the slapstick performance. "Is it the haircut? The suit?" ## Shine Bright Ellison's testimony in this headline-grabbing trial followed that of Gary Wang, who co-founded FTX with Bankman-Fried and also, like the former Alameda CEO, [pleaded guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence]() and information about their alleged crimes at the end of 2022. Considered the [star witness of the government's case]() against the former crypto king, Ellison has for months become deeply intertwined with the collapse of FTX and Bankman-Fried's landmark trial — especially since Bankman-Fried decided to [leak her diary entries to the *New York Times* ]()in July, which [effectively landed him in jail]() ahead of his trial. In a [bombastic new book about SBF]() released just in time for his fraud trial, star biographer Michael Lewis included a number of shocking admissions from Ellison about her time at Alameda and with the FTX co-founder. In one [particularly wild anecdote](), she apparently recounted that Bankman-Fried once gave her a list of reasons why they shouldn't date, and among those reasons was the jarring claim that he doesn't "feel happiness." With Ellison making such incendiary remarks at the very start of her testimony, there's no doubt that there [will be more bombshells]() to come — and we'll be keeping our eyes peeled. **More on FTX:** [*Sam Bankman-Fried's Friend Says He Was Exaggerating How Much He Slept on His Bean Bag Chair*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()