Ex-FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Faces Third Night Among 1,500 Inmates in Infamous New York Correctional Facility – A Drastic Departure from His Parents’ Lavish Stanford Residence.
During a hearing on August 11, Judge Lewis Kaplan revoked the bail of the FTX co-founder. In describing the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), Bankman-Fried now finds himself in a jail that falls far short of any “five-star facility” designation.
Situated in New York, the MDC stands as a federal administrative detention center. Designed to cater to individuals under federal custody, it is an all-gender facility. Despite its intended capacity for 1,000 inmates, the center currently lodges more than 1,500.
Anticipated to remain within the facility for a minimum of two months, Bankman-Fried is in a holding pattern while he awaits his impending criminal trial. However, his legal team has already initiated an appeal process aimed at revisiting his bail revocation.
Not Quite the Club Scene
Regrettably for Bankman-Fried, the correctional facility has a history marred by controversies related to inmate abuse and unethical conduct.
Former warden Cameron Lindsay remarked in 2019 that the MDC held the dubious distinction of being “among the most problematic, if not the most problematic, facility within the Bureau of Prisons.”
![](https://sollcrypto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screen-Shot-2023-08-14-at-7.19.24-AM.png)
In April, legal authorities brought charges against a guard who was accused of accepting bribes in return for smuggling prohibited items such as phones, cigarettes, and drugs.
During the winter of 2019, the center experienced a seven-day power outage, resulting in incarcerated individuals being deprived of heating.
According to The Intercept’s account, inmates resorted to tapping on cell windows to garner the attention of observers outside. Additionally, those who engaged in nonviolent protests against the facility’s conditions were met with actions like pepper spraying, placement in solitary confinement, or even the removal of access to toilets.
Prominent Individuals Who Were Once Held at MDC
The Brooklyn correctional facility has seen its share of notable personalities as former inmates, counting among them the likes of artists 6ix9ine, R. Kelly, and Fetty Wap.
Additionally, “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli and Ghislaine Maxwell, an accomplice in Jeffery Epstein’s sex trafficking activities, also had periods of incarceration at MDC.
Not too long ago, Bankman-Fried was under bail conditions, limited to his parents’ opulent $4 million residence in Palo Alto, featuring five bedrooms and a swimming pool.
![](https://sollcrypto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screen-Shot-2023-08-14-at-7.20.46-AM.png)
Bankman-Fried’s bail being revoked followed the disclosure of a diary belonging to former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison to The New York Times. The diary contained her sentiments towards Bankman-Fried and her involvement within the company.
Accusations were leveled by prosecutors against Bankman-Fried, asserting that he intentionally released the diary to undermine the credibility of Ellison, a key witness in his ongoing legal proceedings, and to exert pressure on her.
His legal team refuted these claims, characterizing Bankman-Fried’s interactions with journalists as a “legitimate exercise of his right to provide balanced commentary on an ongoing article.” They have contested the judge’s ruling to withdraw his bail and launched an appeal in response.