US government asks for court approval to sell private jets tied to Sam Bankman-Fried
The U.S. Marshals Service has custody of a Bombardier Global tied to FTX, and prosecutors are seeking to transport an Embraer Legacy aircraft to Florida to begin sales proceedings.
Prosecutors in the United States government’s case against Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried proposed a court order to sell two private aircraft before the conclusion of the forfeiture proceedings against the former FTX CEO.
In a March 22 filing with U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the government sought to execute an interlocutory sale of two planes tied to FTX and SBF “to prevent their devaluation.” Prosecutors argued in October 2023 that the Bombardier Global and Embraer Legacy aircraft were subject to forfeiture due to their ties to Bankman-Fried’s criminal case.
It’s unclear what price tag the government intends to use for the aircraft, which cost $15.9 million and $12.5 million, respectively, according to October 2023 court filings. Prosecutors said they intended to reimburse up to $1.8 million related to maintenance and upkeep and $183,000 for delivery of the Legacy, assuming the proceeds from the sale were sufficient.
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