The fifth and final executive convicted in the FTX exchange collapse in 2022, Zixiao “Gary” Wang, the co-founder of FTX, was sentenced to time served and asset forfeiture in New York on November 20.
In December 2022, Wang and Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, entered into a plea of guilty to fraud charges. Ellison received a two-year sentence for her involvement in the conspiracy, which involved her admission of conspiring with FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried to steal $8 billion.
Executive Punishment
Ellison’s case, as well as those of Bankman-Fried (25 years) and Ryan Salame, former co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets (7.5 years), were under the supervision of Judge Lewis Kaplan, who also issued prison sentences in all five cases.
Wang’s sentence comprises three years of probation, forfeiture of all illicitly acquired assets, and time served. Kaplan’s decision, in his instance, is consistent with that of Nishad Singh, the former engineering director of FTX.
In October, Kaplan granted Sing probation and time served, citing the former executive’s cooperation as a mitigating factor in the sentencing.
Cooperative witnesses
Additionally, Judge Kaplan attributed Wang’s relatively lenient sentence to his cooperation. Kaplan stated in the courtroom that he had “never witnessed anything quite like what transpired here” and that Wang was “entitled to much credit” for his guilty plea and commitment to assisting authorities, according to a report from The New York Times.
Wang was once more remorseful in court:
“I took the easy path, the cowardly path, instead of doing the right thing. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make amends.”
The subsequent phase of the ongoing FTX criminal prosecutions will commence with the completion of the sentencing process. Bankman-Fried’s attorneys will endeavor to secure their client’s release through appeals.
Bankman-Fried’s legal team initially submitted an appeal in April following her conviction. In September, they submitted new paperwork to request a retrial with a new judge, claiming that Bankman-Fried was not treated equitably during the trial.