Former FTX executives Gary Wang, Nishad Singh face sentencing later this year
Wang, former CTO and co-founder of the defunct exchange will be sentenced on Nov. 30. Meanwhile, former engineering director Singh’s hearing is slated for Oct. 30.
Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the trial of convicted FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, will handle their cases in a New York court. Bankman-Fried received a 25-year prison sentence in late March.
Wang and Singh, close associates of Bankman-Fried, pleaded guilty to criminal charges after FTX’s collapse in November 2022 and cooperated with prosecutors. Both executives testified against SBF, revealing they learned of the wrongdoing at the exchange shortly before its bankruptcy filing.
Wang admitted to financial misconduct during his time at FTX, disclosing specific privileges granted to Alameda Research on Bankman-Fried’s instructions. Singh testified about Bankman-Fried’s “excessive” spending and unilateral use of Alameda’s funds.
Legal experts suggest that Wang and Singh could face decades in prison. However, their cooperation with authorities might result in significantly reduced sentences.
This update comes after Ryan Salame, another key FTX figure, was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for campaign finance violations and running an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Interestingly, Salame has become an active user of social media platform X since his sentencing in May.
Caroline Ellison’s sentencing remains pending. The former CEO of Alameda Research has also pleaded guilty to seven federal counts and testified against SBF.
During Bankman-Fried’s trial, Ellison, who was also his former girlfriend, confirmed that customer funds were used to finance Alameda’s activities.
Additionally, she testified that the Chinese government froze $1 billion of Alameda’s funds held on crypto exchanges OKX and Huobi as part of a money laundering investigation.