Over the past three weeks, the criminal trial of disgraced crypto tycoon Sam Bankman Freed has brought together powerful legal minds. Manhattan's top federal prosecutor, Damien Williams, sits on the 26th floor with partners at a prestigious law firm and a former representative of Robert Mueller III, the special counsel in the investigation of President Donald J. Trump. I sat in court for hours. .
Then a man named Tako appears.
Taco, 39, a prolific YouTuber with a channel dedicated to cryptocurrencies, is among the lawyers and reporters who line up before sunrise every morning to secure a seat at Bankman Fried's trial in downtown Manhattan. , has become an unlikely staple among crowds of curious onlookers. . On many days, the streamer smokes a cigar or two before 6 a.m., then logs into a cryptocurrency-themed video chat to regale his roughly 5,000 online followers with the latest news about the case.
“Everyone talks about how important cryptocurrencies are to them,” Tako said. “But they don’t participate in any events.”
Tako declined to reveal his real name, citing privacy concerns. “The government thinks I'm dead,” he explained. But he said he felt compelled to appear in what was “technically the trial of the century.”
Bankman Fried's trial on fraud charges stemming from the collapse of his FTX virtual currency exchange has brought two different worlds into a strange collision, and has led to a growing number of crypto-obsessed people (some He unleashed a horde of what he called “perverts” into Hyper Online. themselves) into the robust, formal environment of federal court.
As the trial unfolded, reporters have been jockeying for the floor with crypto influencers and online celebrities, at least one of whom managed to smuggle a vape pen into the courtroom. Outside the building this week, a lawyer who specializes in working with crypto investors held out a business card with the title “DeFi Defense Lawyer,” referring to the experimental type of cryptocurrencies known as decentralized finance. Ta. And on the witness stand, FTX executives have to explain technical terms like “FUD,” an acronym for “Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt,” that cryptocurrency proponents use to dismiss criticism. There wasn't.
I watched the clash of cultures up close in court as Caroline Ellison, one of the top figures in Bankman Freed's business empire, testified last week. To my right was Coffeezilla, a popular YouTuber who makes videos about cryptocurrency scams, and who had come all the way from Texas to meet Bankman Freed live. Behind him is cryptocurrency influencer Tiffany Fung, who struck up an unlikely friendship with the FTX founder after his arrest.
“It's like, 'I don't know why I'm here,'” Fong said. “I'm not affiliated with it at all and it doesn't make much sense to me, but I'm very passionate about this case.”
Throughout the trial, Fong said, released A video was posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, giving her thoughts on the lawsuit. Sometimes she has carly riley, runs a podcast about non-fungible tokens, the crypto collectibles known as NFTs. An anonymous account calling itself Autism Capital has also been steadily providing analysis and conspiratorial speculation about the X trial.
Many of the legal disputes did not impress the octopus.
During Ellison's cross-examination last week, Tako leaned over one of the benches and said Bankman Fried was a “degen lawyer” — a lawyer engrossed in topics that crypto traders would debate all night. — told me that I would benefit from it. At X.
However, despite Tako's experience with cryptocurrencies, navigating the court process hasn't always been easy.
He showed up around 5 a.m. the other Monday and learned the courthouse was closed for a federal holiday. He sometimes has to be reminded to remove his baseball cap, which is prohibited inside the courtroom. And on the first day of the trial, he was asked to leave after a security guard caught him using a smartwatch he had obtained through security. (The use of electronic devices is prohibited in the courtroom.)
By the end of Ellison's testimony, Taco had mastered the routine and was adhering to the judge's strict ban on eating and drinking in the courtroom. During a break in proceedings, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a can of Red Bull.
“I have to go,” he said with a smile and walked out the door.
