As the co-founder and CTO of FTX, Gary Wang, was recently sentenced, and due to Wang's active cooperation in the FTX case, he was ultimately sentenced by the U.S. prosecutors to three years of probation and ordered to forfeit $11 billion. Wang is also the last senior executive of FTX to be prosecuted after the collapse.
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ToggleGary Wang Pleads Guilty to Four Charges, Receives Three-Year Probation for Cooperating
According to reports, after the FTX collapse, Gary Wang was charged by U.S. prosecutors with four counts, including "conspiracy to commit wire fraud," "wire fraud," "conspiracy to commit commodity fraud," and "conspiracy to commit securities fraud," with a maximum sentence of 50 years. However, due to Wang's full and active cooperation with the authorities during the investigation, he was ultimately sentenced to only three years of probation, without any additional jail time. At the same time, Wang was also ordered to forfeit $11 billion, consistent with the penalties imposed on other FTX executives.
Remorseful Attitude Recognized by Judge, Programmer Skills Assist Government in Fraud Fight
Wang expressed deep remorse in court and offered his sincerest apologies to FTX's customers and investors, acknowledging that he chose a cowardly path and failed to make the right decisions, and that he will spend the rest of his life trying to make amends. Wang's family also accompanied him in court.
The U.S. prosecutors stated that Wang was the first FTX executive to actively cooperate, playing a crucial role in this case by providing detailed explanations of FTX's technical details, helping the authorities clarify how user funds were misappropriated from FTX to the sister company Alameda Research. They also mentioned that Wang utilized his programming skills to assist the government in developing tools to "detect potential fraud in the stock market and cryptocurrency industry." The prosecutors said they had never seen such a cooperative attitude, and that Wang deserved recognition.
Current Judicial Status of FTX Executives
FTX founder SBF has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, while SBF's girlfriend and Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, who is a key witness for the prosecution, has been sentenced to two years in prison and is currently serving her sentence. Another FTX executive, Ryan Salame, has been sentenced to 7.5 years in prison and is also currently serving his sentence.
The only other FTX executive to receive probation is former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh, due to his cooperative attitude. Gary Wang is the last FTX executive to be prosecuted and is also receiving probation, and his active cooperation not only saved him from imprisonment but also helped the authorities conclude the largest cryptocurrency fraud case in history.
(Helping to Confess FTX Fraud, CTO Gary Wang Reveals SBF and Seeks Leniency)