Caroline Ellison appeared to have difficulties identifying her ex-boyfriend in court on Tuesday.
When Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, took the stand and was asked by the prosecution to pick out Sam Bankman-Fried at the Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday afternoon, she looked around for around 30 seconds before pointing out her ex-boyfriend, multiple news outlets reported. She turned her head to look around the room multiple times before she identified Bankman-Fried as 'over there and wearing a suit,' CNBC quotes her as saying.
The cofounder of FTX might have looked a bit different to Ellison. Bankman-Fried abandoned his signature cargo shorts and unruly hair for the trial, instead of a suit and a shorter hair cut. The Wall Street Journal last week reported Bankman-Fried's hair had been cut by a fellow prisoner at the Brooklyn federal jail where he is currently being detained.
Bankman-Fried stayed low in his chair and stiller than usual as he waited for Ellison to identify him, said coindesk. The report said Bankman-Fried's parents even appeared to let out a 'chuckle' when Ellison pointed out their son after several seconds of scanning the court room.
Ellison has probably not seen Bankman-Fried in person for many months. On Tuesday, she told jurors that the pair severed their on-and-off relationship in the spring of 2022. After the FTX collapse, Ellison admitted to fraud charges and began cooperating with investigators.
The ex-Alameda Research CEO is continuing her testimony. On Tuesday, she told jurors that she worked with bankman-Fried and other members of his inner circle to defraud FTX of billions of dollars.
The FTX cofounder faces seven charges of fraud. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to all charges, but prosecutors allege that he stole billions from customers and investors in his cryptocurrency exchange and commingled funds between FTX and its affiliate hedge fund, Alameda Research.