Authorities in the Bahamas have arrested FTX founder Sam Bankman-Freed.

Law enforcement in the Bahamas has arrested FTX founder Sam Backnman-Freed at the request of the US government. This was announced by Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams.

“Authorities in the Bahamas have arrested Samuel Bankman-Freed at the request of the US government on the basis of a sealed indictment filed in the Southern District of New York. We expect a motion to remove the secrecy from the indictment will be filed in the morning, after which we will be able to provide more details, ”the message says.

According to Bahamas Attorney Ryan Pinder, the arrest took place on December 12. The US has filed criminal charges against the founder of FTX. It is expected that American law enforcement agencies will require Bankman-Fried to be extradited to the States.

“In the event of a formal request for extradition, The Bahamas intends to process the request expeditiously in accordance with local law and treaty obligations with the United States,” the press release said.

Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis added that, despite the initiative of US law enforcement, the country's authorities will continue to investigate the collapse of FTX.

The charges against Backnman-Fried include wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and money laundering, according to The New York Times sources.

The SEC also said it would file separate charges against the founder of FTX for violating securities laws. They should be publicly announced on December 14th.

On December 13, the founder of FTX was scheduled to speak at a US Senate Banking Committee hearing. Committee chair Maxine Waters said she was frustrated that she "couldn't hear Bankman-Fried."

“It is high time to begin the process of bringing Bankman-Fried to justice. However, the American public deserves to hear directly from the founder of FTX answers to questions regarding actions that have harmed more than a million people, ”Waters said.