Oh, how we hope to use that headline again, but in this case the fake billionaire we’re talking about is crypto scam artist Sam Bankman-Fried, who was taken into custody after prosecutors in his fraud case told the court he was violating conditions of his $250 million bail, NPR reports.
With the trial scheduled to start October 2nd, prosecutors say Bankman-Fried contacted witnesses scheduled to testify for the prosecution trying to intimidate or influence them. He’s also alleged to have used a VPN to circumvent court-ordered monitoring of his internet usage.
Part of the intimidation campaign involved Bankman-Fried giving the New York Times copies of pages from his former girlfriend’s diary; his former girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, led a hedge fund Bankman-Fried co-founded. She’s pleaded guilty to fraud herself and is awaiting sentencing.