Sam Bankman-Fried Praises Diddy in Second Interview, Crisis Manager Quits

Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has engaged in his second interview behind bars, doing himself no favours, as well as his crisis manager.

Mark Botnick, who had been handling Bankman-Fried’s public relations since the collapse of FTX in November 2022, told Business Insider that he had no prior knowledge of SBF's interview with host Tucker Carlson. As a result, Botnick has since resigned from his post.

"As of today, I no longer represent SBF," Botnick confirmed to Business Insider. Botnick previously worked for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and represented SBF during the most turbulent times of his legal battles, such as his bail violations and pre-trial imprisonment.

He revealed that SBF had been posting messages on X offering advice on Trump’s plans to purge federal employees that were not approved or made known to him. I'm unsure who posted them on his behalf," Botnick said.

In the interview, which was posted to social media on SBF's 33rd birthday, the disgraced crypto mogul opened up about life in prison. When asked about living in the same prison as Diddy, SBF had nothing but kind words to offer about the condemned raper.

"I've only seen one piece of him, which is Diddy in prison," SBF said. "He's been kind to people in the unit. He's been kind to me. It's a position no one wants to be in. Obviously, he doesn't, I don't. It's kind of a soul crushing place for the world in general, and what we see are just the people that are around us on the inside rather than who we are on the outside."

SBF has been appealing his prison sentence and even told Carlson, "I don't think I was a criminal." When asked how old he will be when he gets out, SBF said it would be in his late 40s at the minimum, despite being sentenced until he turns 57.

In his first interview from prison, SBF also insisted on his innocence. In an interview with The New York Sun, SBF was asked if he believes he is innocent, to which he replied, "I do, absolutely." Admitting he would "do things differently," SBF said he "backed down from a fight in 2022."

“I’m Innocent”: Sam Bankman-Fried’s First Interview From Prison Shows He’s Still a Weasel

SBF engages in his first interview from prison, professing his innocence and striving unconvincingly for a pardon

BlockheadBlockhead

SBF has completed two of his 25-year sentence for his role in the collapse of FTX and the wipeout of $9 billion worth of customer funds.