Writer Michael Lewis, whose bestseller The Massive Quick was tailored right into a Hollywood blockbuster, reportedly met with disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in latest days on the California house the place he’s holed up awaiting trial.
Lewis, 62, met with Bankman-Fried for a number of hours on Friday on the $4 million house of the {accused} crypto fraudster’s mother and father, who’re each Stanford College legislation professors, the New York Put up reported citing sources.
Exterior the house, barricades manned by non-public safety guards seal off the residential avenue to maintain curious onlookers at bay, an association that’s costing Bankman-Fried’s mother and father some $10,000 per week, in response to the Put up.
Lewis has reportedly been engaged on a e book about Bankman-Fried for months, a mission that was first revealed final month when the implosion of FTX accelerated his timeline for publication.
Previous to Bankman-Fried’s arrest on federal expenses, Lewis reportedly spent six months shadowing the 30-year-old CEO, touring with him and interviewing him extensively.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried leaves the Federal Court docket in New York on Thursday after he was launched on a $250 million bond and ordered to detention in his mother or father’s California house
A crew of safety guards and the Stanford police guard a closed avenue barricade close to the residence of Sam Bankman-Fried that forestalls entry to the Fried house on Monday
Writer Michael Lewis, whose bestseller The Massive Quick was tailored right into a Hollywood Blockbuster, reportedly met with Bankman-Fried on the house on Friday
The Ankler first reported that literary agent Michael Snyder knowledgeable his contacts that Lewis had six months’ price of fabric on Bankman-Fried – who feuded in spectacular type along with his mentor, Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao.
Zhao, head of the world’s largest bitcoin and crypto trade, initially introduced plans to rescue FTX, Bankman-Fried’s firm, however then backed out, saying FTX was not steady.
Lewis likened the pair to Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.
‘Michael hasn’t written something but, however the story has turn into too huge for us to attend,’ the agent stated in his electronic mail, obtained by The Ankler.
Lewis’ earlier books The Massive Quick, Moneyball and The Blind Facet had been all became Hollywood blockbusters.
It is unclear whether or not Bankman-Fried would stand to learn financially if Lewis’ upcoming e book about him had been became a film.
Usually, studios would not have to pay to acquire life rights for public figures, particularly in the event that they choice a piece of non-fiction for adaptation.
Bankman-Fried’s mother and father Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman are each Stanford College legislation professors. They’re seen above leaving court docket final week
The household is reportedly paying $10,000 per week for the non-public safety patrols sealing off their residential avenue and conserving onlookers away
Disgraced FTX-founder Sam Bankman-Fried can be spending his home arrest at this five-bedroom house within the Bay Space after being launched on $250million bond Thursday
Nonetheless, even some convicted criminals have taken payouts from studios desperate to keep away from lawsuits. In a single case, the con artist Anna Sorkin took $320,000 from Netflix for the rights to adapt her life story, although the funds reportedly went to pay restitution and fines.
Bankman-Fried has not been convicted of any crime, however is free on $250 million bail as he awaits trial on federal expenses together with wire fraud, commodities fraud, securities fraud, cash laundering, and marketing campaign finance legislation violations.
In August, Lewis mentioned in broad phrases his upcoming e book about Bankman-Fried in an interview with Monetary Information.
‘I actually do not need to reveal precisely what I am writing about,’ he stated.
‘However I discovered a personality by way of whom I can write about — it weirdly hyperlinks up Flash Boys, The Massive Quick and Liar’s Poker.
‘I suppose it’s potential will probably be framed as a crypto e book, however it will not be a crypto e book.
‘It’s going to be about this actually uncommon character. You will be taught all about crypto and you may find out about what screwed up market construction in the US and so forth.’
Sam Bankman-Fried is depicted in court docket on Thursday the place he was granted $250million bail
FTX had a one-time valuation of $32 billion earlier than collapsing in chapter final month amid allegations that billions in consumer funds had been siphoned off to prop up Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund, Alameda Analysis.
Bankman-Fried, arrested within the Bahamas two weeks in the past, was delivered to the US final week to face expenses that he cheated FTX traders and looted buyer deposits.
He was freed on a $250 million private recognizance bond to stay along with his mother and father in Palo Alto, California, after an digital monitoring bracelet was hooked up to him so authorities may observe his whereabouts.
On Tuesday, the case was reassigned to Decide Lewis A. Kaplan, after the decide initially assigned recused herself as a result of her husband labored for a legislation agency that had as soon as achieved work associated to FTX.
Kaplan, 78, who has held senior standing in Manhattan federal court docket for over a decade, was nominated to the bench by President Invoice Clinton in 1994 and has a status as a non-nonsense jurist.
He has overseen quite a few high-profile trials and is presently presiding over the 2 federal civil fits that former Elle journal recommendation columnist E. Jean Carroll filed towards former President Donald Trump.
Carroll stated Trump raped her within the dressing room of a Manhattan luxurious division retailer in 1995 or 1996. Trump has denied the accusations. A trial is scheduled for April.
The storied decide additionally was presiding over intercourse abuse claims by an American lady towards Prince Andrew earlier than the 2 sides settled earlier this 12 months, with Andrew declaring that he by no means meant to malign her character and agreeing to donate to the girl’s charity. Previous to the settlement, Kaplan had refused Andrew’s request to toss the lawsuit.
Most just lately, Kaplan presided over the civil trial of Kevin Spacey after a fellow actor {accused} him of making an attempt to molest him in his condominium after a celebration when he was 14 and Spacey was 26.
A jury sided with Spacey, discovering that actor Anthony Rapp had not proved his case towards him.
