Former billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried has been seen sporting a new beard and a slimmer waistline in a newly surfaced photo purportedly taken at New York’s Metropolitan Detention Centre.
The photo was shared by independent crypto reporter Tiffany Fong in an interview with a former MDC prison inmate known only as “G Lock.”
Fong described the image as the “first and only” photo of Sam Bankman-Fried to be released since he was imprisoned after being found guilty of fraud in August 2023.
First photo of Sam Bankman-Fried in jail at MDC Brooklyn. (December 17, 2023) pic.twitter.com/QlENjjmeQG
— Tiffany Fong (@TiffanyFong_) February 20, 2024
The photo, reportedly taken on Dec. 17, 2023, shows Bankman-Fried sporting a beard and looking noticeably thinner while standing alongside five other inmates.
Fong also uploaded a short snippet of a currently unreleased interview with G Lock, who associated with Bankman-Fried while he was staying in prison.
“He’s obviously lost some weight, and I’ve heard he’s not showering very much. He’s not as clean-shaven as he used to be, but he’s obviously going through a lot right now,” said Fong.
G Lock described Bankman-Fried as being “strange as shit” but conceded that he considered him to be a “good guy.”
While Bankman-Fried hadn’t been shaving or showering, G Lock said he hadn’t been experiencing too hard of a time in prison, adding that the former FTX CEO hadn’t been subjected to any serious violence or intimidation during his stay in the MDC.
Notably, G Lock described Bankman-Fried as being “more gangster” than the American rapper Tekashi Six Nine, as unlike the rapper, Bankman-Fried never “snitched” on anyone while in prison.
Related: Sam Bankman-Fried to return to court for hearing over legal representation
Members of the crypto sector on X were quick to comment on the newly surfaced photo.
“If that's really SBF in that photo, prison life ain't treating him well,” said pseudonymous trader IamNomad.
Meanwhile, others joked that Bankman-Fried had been forced to “join a gang” while in prison.
SBF JOINED A GANG IN PRISON LMFAO pic.twitter.com/4cRoUKQpxo
— LilMoonLambo (@LilMoonLambo) February 20, 2024
“SBF looks like he’s about to drop the album of the year,” quipped another user.
At the end of the clip, Fong said that Bankman-Fried’s inmates had also been roasting him for dating Caroline Ellison and that Bankman-Fried and his fellow inmates all sat down together to watch the now-infamous 60 Minutes interview with Big Short author Michael Lewis, which aired alongside the release of his biography of Bankman-Fried, titled, Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.
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