Former inmate Gene Borrello, who was once detained at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, revealed in an interview with cryptocurrency columnist Tiffany Fong that Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the founder of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, became a target of other inmates due to his timid nature and “80-year-old physique,” to the extent that he even considered paying protection money to a fellow inmate.
SBF Extorted for Protection Money by Other Inmates
In an interview on November 30th, Gene Borrello, who went from being a New York gang associate to an informant, stated that he spent some time with SBF before his criminal court appearance and described SBF as struggling to adapt to prison life and worried about his safety. According to the New York Daily News, Borrello was sentenced to 6 months in prison by a judge in February this year for violating supervised release conditions.
Borrello mentioned that other inmates perceived SBF as very timid and having the physique of an 80-year-old, with one inmate allegedly trying to intimidate SBF to extort protection money. Borrello recalled, “However, SBF was detained in a unit at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center that separates wealthy and government collaborators from ordinary inmates, and Borrello repeatedly told him, ‘It’s not dangerous here, you don’t need protection,’ and that he didn’t need to pay other inmates.”
Recalling his conversations with SBF, Borrello said, “When he spoke to you, he looked down, very timid, and spoke very nervously.” Borrello also asked SBF where he spent his money, to which SBF replied that he owned an Apple Watch and drove a 2020 Toyota Camry, leaving Borrello and his friends puzzled by SBF’s alleged embezzlement of large sums of money.
SBF Feels his “Time is Running Out”
According to Borrello, SBF is more nervous about being imprisoned than his own case, believing he will spend 20 years in jail. Borrello tried to explain to SBF how bad his situation was.
Borrello also attempted to warn SBF that Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is responsible for overseeing his case, is “the toughest judge in the Southern District.”
As reported by Zombit earlier, the jury reached a verdict in early November, finding SBF guilty on all seven charges of fraud and conspiracy, which could result in a maximum sentence of 115 years. His sentencing is scheduled for March 28, 2024, with his lawyers expected to file an appeal.
In most cases, judges follow the prosecution’s sentencing recommendations (which have not been submitted in SBF’s case yet). Although Borrello thinks a 100-year sentence is “ridiculous,” he claims SBF’s situation is a high-profile case that every prosecutor wants to be involved in, as they hope to become “judges, politicians, analysts, and top federal attorneys.”
Borrello stated: