Addressing the issue in court on Tuesday, Bankman-Fried’s defense team explained that their client had used the VPN to access his NFL Game Pass subscription to watch the AFC and NFC championship games, as well as the Super Bowl.
Kaplan was not happy to hear about Bankman-Fried using a private network and immediately banned him from doing so again, ruling that “the defendant’s use of a VPN presents many of the same risks associated with use of an encrypted messaging or call application” – which he is already prohibited from using under his current bail agreement.
The judge also ordered Bankman-Fried back in court Thursday for another hearing on the matter, denying the parties’ request for an extension of time to submit further proposed modifications to the defendant’s bail conditions.
[Why isn’t SBF in jail already? The Super Bowl issue is ticky-tack, but the VPN issue is not. He’s supposed to stay off the Internet and especially communications apps by which he might tamper with witnesses or move assets. — Ed]
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