Bankman-Fried In Danger? Unidentified Men Told His Security Guard, 'You Won't Be Able To Keep Us Out'

The lawyer of Sam Bankman-Fried, the embattled founder and former CEO of the controversial crypto empire FTX, claimed that his client's safety and privacy, as well as that of his family, were threatened last week when a car crashed into the barricade of his parent's home with the unidentified car's occupants making a threatening statement before leaving the scene.

Christian Everdell from New York law firm Cohen & Gresser told Judge Lewis Kaplan in a letter dated Jan. 19 that a driver of a black car allegedly slammed into the metal barricade outside of the five-bedroom Palo Alto home of Stanford Law professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, Bankman-Fried's parents. The lawyer noted that the incident could be an effort to cause the family harm.

"Recently, the Bankman-Frieds had a security incident at their home when a black car drove into the metal barricade set up outside their home," Everdell said in the letter.

One of the three unidentified occupants of the car allegedly made a threatening statement when they were allegedly confronted by the security guard on duty.

"Three men got out of the car. When the security guard on duty confronted them, the men said something to the effect of: 'You won't be able to keep us out.' The men got back in the car and quickly drove away before the security guard was able to see the license plate," the letter read.

The lawyer did not explicitly state when the incident occurred but noted that it happened recently.

The security guard on duty was not able to identify the three men, as well as the license plate of the car, the lawyer said.

"This incident underscores the risk to the Bankman-Frieds' privacy and security that was already evident in the numerous threatening and harassing communications referenced in our initial submission," Everdell added.

Bankman-Fried, or SBF, as he is popularly known in the crypto space, is currently facing multiple criminal charges linked to the collapse of his crypto empire FTX and was released on bail on Dec. 22 after his arrest and extradition from the Bahamas.

While the FTX founder awaits his next trial, part of the condition in his bail is for him to stay at his parents' five-bedroom home with an estimated value of between $3.1 million, as per Redfin, and $4 million, as per Zillow's estimate.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Bankman-Fried's lawyer reported "actual efforts to cause harm" to SBF and his family.

On Jan. 3, attorney Mark Cohen informed the court that Bankman-Fried's parents "have become the target of intense media scrutiny, harassment, and threats." He added that the family had received "a steady stream of threatening correspondence, including communications expressing a desire that they suffer physical harm."

Earlier this month, Bankman-Fried disclosed to Puck reporter Teddy Schleifer that a vigilante was stopped by security guards in his parent's house, but he did not provide further details about the incident.