FTX Ramps Up Restitution Efforts, Subpoenas AI Firm CAIS Over $6.5M Investment

Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, led by newly appointed CEO John Ray III, has embarked on an intensive legal campaign to regain control and recover assets in its pursuit of financial restitution. 

As founder Sam Bankman-Fried awaits possible conviction and faces a staggering 114 years in prison if found guilty, FTX’s asset recovery plan continues under Ray’s leadership. 

In a recent filing with the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, FTX issued a subpoena to the artificial intelligence (AI) firm Center for AI Safety (CAIS), demanding accounting records and information regarding payments, agreements, and contracts related to the $6.5 million investment.

The motion, filed on behalf of the debtors who sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 11 and November 14, 2022, states that the Debtors are operating their businesses and managing their properties as debtors-in-possession under the Bankruptcy Code. 

It also highlights the appointment of an Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors by the US Trustee. FTX’s investigations have revealed that CAIS received transfers totaling at least $6.5 million in debtors’ funds between May and September 2022. 

As part of their ongoing efforts to understand the debtors’ financial landscape, transactions, and estate, FTX has requested CAIS to produce relevant documents and information related to payments, agreements, communications, and other pertinent details.

According to the motion filed on October 25, despite the debtors’ attempts to engage in a cooperative dialogue and resolve the matter amicably, CAIS has rejected voluntary requests for accounting and failed to respond to formal correspondence. The filing reads: 

The Debtors have attempted to engage in a cooperative meet and confer process to obtain information from the CAIS voluntarily. The Debtors have so far been unsuccessful. On a phone call on August 22, 2023, counsel for CAIS expressed unwillingness to make its records related to the transfers available to the Debtors. In emails between October 2-6, 2023, Debtors requested information concerning the amount of Debtor funds CAIS has spent, the amount of Debtor funds it has retained, and its financial condition. CAIS declined to provide that information. 

The motion concludes by stating that notice of this action has been provided to relevant parties, including the US Trustee, the Committee’s counsel, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, the US Department of Justice, the US Attorney for the District of Delaware, and CAIS itself.

FTX’s native token, FTT, is trading at $1.22, marking a return to the $1 level for the first time since November 2022. Although it has experienced a decline of over 5% in the past 24 hours, the token has exhibited noteworthy gains over the past seven days, amounting to a 17% upward trend. 

The token’s value has diminished by more than 95% when considering the one-year timeframe.

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com