Crypto Boy in chains

Look at it this way: There's one more Airbnb listing in Palo Alto tonight. Sam Bankman-Fried has been kicked out of his parents' basement in the Stanford faculty ghetto and ordered into a federal jail in Brooklyn, New York pending trial. The judge got tired of his intimidating witnesses and trashing their credibility. Who does he think he is, Donald Trump?

It's stunning to me that aiding and abetting his violation of his bail conditions was none other than the New York Times, which collaborated with him on a story baring his ex-girlfriend's most private communications. You know what? Shame on them.

Now SBF gets to sweat bullets in federal custody, the same kind of custody in which Jeffrey Epstein was when he died. Suicide, you know. Jeff knew a lot of bad stuff about some important people, including politicians. Sam probably does, too, after his and his pals' sleazebag political contributions of millions of dollars of stolen money. Including to Democratic politicians. Including right here in Oregon. Via the woman who is "all things Ron Wyden" and a couple of people on his payroll. They were "in the loop," you see.

The grand jury indicted Sam for the stolen-money contributions, but funny thing, the prosecutors have dropped that particular charge. "Because of our treaty obligations to the Bahamas." Folks, the legal term for that is a "crock."

I get the sense that more than a few things are being swept from view, and the Bankman clan, which probably has some dirt on some big-time political face cards, may be trying to play hardball with what it knows. But if they are, so far they're losing the game. 

The clear message from the feds is that Crypto Boy had better take a plea deal, or else. Or else what? Something for him to think about as he adjusts from his beanbag chair and teddy bear to a cell cot. Sleeping with one eye open is no fun.