ChainCatcher news, the indicted FTX founder SBF is expected to plead not guilty to new criminal charges in the U.S. on Thursday, which include conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws and bribing Chinese authorities.Previously, SBF pleaded not guilty to eight counts of fraud and conspiracy, which alleged that he misappropriated billions of FTX customer funds to cover losses at his hedge fund Alameda Research.A source told Reuters that he also plans to plead not guilty to the new 13 charges. The new charges increase Bankman-Fried's pressure, as he could face decades in prison if convicted in the trial set to begin on October 2. (Reuters)

ChainCatcher news, FTX founder SBF is accused of authorizing the payment of $40 million in cryptocurrency to one or more Chinese government officials to unfreeze accounts related to his cryptocurrency business.The indictment states that Chinese law enforcement froze the accounts of the two largest cryptocurrency exchanges in China in early 2021, including certain cryptocurrency trading accounts of Alameda Research, which contained approximately $1 billion worth of cryptocurrency.After multiple attempts to unfreeze the accounts through lawyers and lobbying failed, SBF directed and authorized the bribery of one or more Chinese officials to entice them to unfreeze some of the accounts. A portion of the cryptocurrency bribe, valued at approximately $40 million at the time, was transferred from Alameda Research's main trading account to a private cryptocurrency wallet in November 2021, and the frozen accounts were also unfrozen around the same time. (Bloomberg)