(New York) Former FTX cryptocurrency exchange boss Sam Bankman-Fried was returned to jail on Friday by a federal judge in New York who found he failed to follow the rules of his parole.

The prosecutor’s office was behind this appeal to have the conditional release overturned, accusing Sam Bankman-Fried of witness tampering.

According to the prosecutor, he notably transmitted documents to the New York Times in an attempt to influence the testimony of Caroline Ellison, a former executive of his investment company Alameda who was indicted and who agreed to collaborate with the American authorities.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York “ordered that the defendant be taken into custody by the US Marshalls”, the federal security agency in charge of prisoners.

Pending trial, he had been placed under house arrest with his parents in California after posting $250 million bail.

Charged in particular with fraud and criminal association, “SBF”, his nickname, had been extradited at the end of December 2022 from the Bahamas, where the headquarters of FTX was located.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him over the months. His trial is due to begin in October in New York.