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Uncovering the Witnesses: Who’s Taking the Stand in Sam Bankman-Fried’s Fraud Trial?

Sam Bankman-Fried, the billionaire head of one of the world’s most successful cryptocurrency exchanges, is scheduled to stand trial for fraud later this month. With the case coming to a head, some of the most powerful figures in the crypto space have been called upon to testify and provide evidence in Sam’s trial. These figures include major players in the crypto industry like Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Circle co-founder Jeremy Allaire. Both men are thought to be key witnesses in the case as their firms were both involved in an alleged fraud involving Sam Bankman-Fried and his exchange, Alameda Research. Ripple, which operates one of the world’s largest digital asset exchanges, is accused of being involved in the fraud in some capacity. Garlinghouse is expected to be one of the key witnesses and has said he is eager to help the court get to the bottom of the situation. Similarly, Allaire has been called to provide testimony. He is the co-founder of Circle, a venture-backed crypto finance company. He used to work at Alameda Research and is thought to have close knowledge of the events that unfolded in the case. It is unclear whether other industry figures, such as Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, will be called to testify as well. However, some other executives from bedrock crypto firms such as Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken are also believed to be on the list of witnesses. The trial is set to begin in May and everyone involved is preparing for a potentially lengthy legal process. If found guilty, Sam Bankman-Fried could face serious consequences, including jail time. However, with some of the most prominent figures in the crypto space set to provide testimonies, it will be interesting to see the results of this highly-anticipated trial.