Crypto Twitter has blown up over the shocking news of Sam Bankman-Fried’s arrest in the Bahamas, with many surprised it had occurred so quickly.
The Royal Bahamas Police arrested the disgraced founder of FTX after receiving notification from the United States that he had been charged with criminal offenses.
Within hours, influencers, crypto executives, and politicians all got on Twitter to discuss the arrest of the former CEO.
New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who’s held a fairly neutral view on the crypto industry to date, told her 13.4 million Twitter followers that Bankman-Fried’s was a step toward “justice being served,” but noted that the arrest would postpone Bankman-Fried’s testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, which was scheduled for Dec. 13.
Tomorrow, Bankman-Fried was scheduled to testify in front of the House. Tonight, he was detained.
Although I’m disappointed that we won’t have the chance to present our line, we look forward for more information and justice to be served in this case. https://t.co/HS9u1n5Kur
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 13, 2022
U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis was also pleased, tweeting that prosecutors made the right decision to hold Bankman-Fried accountable for the “good, old-fashioned fraud” he allegedly committed.
The fraud at FTX seems to have been good old-fashioned fraud. I’m glad that prosecutors are investigating the incident to make sure everyone involved in crimes is held responsible.
— Senator Cynthia Lummis (@SenLummis) December 13, 2022
Elizabeth Warren, a fellow U.S. senator who is also a crypto skeptic, agreed to this. stating In a December 13 tweet, she stated to her 7,000,000 followers that the U.S. Department of Justice must hold more law-breaking corporate executives accountable.
Others made light of the situation. Benjamin Cowen, the chief executive and founder of the crypto-analysis channel called Into The Cryptoverse, used ChatGPT to create poetry about Bankman-Fried’s latest predicament.
“Write a poem about SBF, the CEO of FTX, who was arrested in the Bahamas for wire fraud.” pic.twitter.com/OWMXlhcqPt
— Benjamin Cowen (@intocryptoverse) December 13, 2022
Memes are also trending on Twitter.
Sam Bankman-Fried is finally sent to prison pic.twitter.com/i2JqL7JiD6
— DRE THE NOID (@THEGOONEEZ) December 13, 2022
Much is also being said about Bankman-Fried’s Twitter posts and media appearances since FTX’s stunning collapse in November.
Trung Phan is the co-host of Not Investment Advice. told his 538,000 Twitter followers on Dec. 13 that Bankman-Fried’s erratic public behavior will make life harder for his defense attorney, while others believe that Bankman-Fried’s arrest will likely see him pointing the finger at colleagues and people linked to the FTX debacle, including those that received his sizeable political donations.
Related: BF tried destabilize crypto markets to save FTX.
Bankman-Fried, in what is probably his last interview on Twitter Spaces, spoke with Unusual Whales Dec. 12. stated “I don’t think I’ll be arrested” when pressed about the possibility.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force made the arrest following the formal notification from the U.S. that it has filed criminal charges against Bankman-Fried, according to a Dec. 12 announcement by the Bahamas’ Office of the Attorney General.