this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
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I was wondering why SBF seemingly behaved like an innocent man. Giving interviews, talking to podcasters, remaining at his residence.

Why didn't he make a run for it?

If he did take all those billions as was claimed, why didn't he move to a country that doesn't extradite or just move off the grid for a couple years?

Was he burnt out? complacent? drugs?

Or did he never have that money in the first place?

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[–] [email protected] 108 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Everyone had been telling him he was the smartest guy in the room, and he thought he was. Plus BTC and crypto are still kinda in shaky legal status, and he'd made a lot of donations to politicians.

Crypto ain't cash, they can unravel the block chain and figure out the transactions. He can't just disappear with a few mil and not be followed.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago (2 children)

If he can't just disappear with a few mil and not be followed, then how smart can he be?

[–] [email protected] 42 points 11 months ago (1 children)

SBF was arrogant as fuck, and a bunch of rich people mistook it as eccentric genius so they started praising him as a genius. He did some very stupid things and he definitely isn't a genius, but isn't an idiot either. He's smart enough to know when he's got.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

So he may have been just narcissistic and deluded himself his shit does't stink.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 11 months ago (21 children)

No, everyone had been telling him he was the smartest guy in the room. He clearly wasn't.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Crypto ain't cash, they can unravel the block chain and figure out the transactions. He can't just disappear with a few mil and not be followed.

That's not true of all crypto though, he could have disappeared with monero.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (2 children)

That's some peak crypto shilling "My Crypto is amazing for CRIME!"

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago

How is me pointing out that their statement was incorrect shilling? Is it a crime now to want things to be factually accurate?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago

It's true though. Monero is great for buying drugs. There's also many ways to tumble your crypto.

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[–] [email protected] 70 points 11 months ago (2 children)

He believed he was untouchable due to his political contributions to both sides, but he underestimated the reach some of his investors that he stole from had themselves.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 11 months ago

You steal from the ultra-rich, this is what happens. If you want into the club, you help them steal from joe-average.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I see, basically he was delusional...maybe it was the drugs after all...

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Nope. Narcissism. The most powerful drug of all.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 11 months ago

He probably didn't make a run in the beginning because he had convinced even himself that he hadn't done anything wrong, that he'd just been aggressive and sloppy. Then he probably thought that he might be accused of something, but that his money and connections would help him stay out of jail. By the time he was arrested in the Bahamas, it was probably too late. He was too high profile to just slip away.

If he'd been a bit more paranoid, he probably could be on the run today.

He had access to billions. Even if getting it all liquid would have resulted in a 90% loss, that's still hundreds of millions. With that kind of money, you can find a country where you can get a new passport under a new name, and probably get away with faking your own death.

The problem is that to do any of that, you'd have to work with other people, and there would have to be some trust involved. If he wanted to keep the money in a bank, there would have to be some mutual trust with a bank / banker. If he tried to walk around with millions in jewelry, he'd have to avoid getting mugged. If he hired private security, he'd have to avoid getting mugged by his private security. If he tried to use his money to get a passport in say Myanmar, he'd have to have some trust that they wouldn't just imprison him and beat him until he gave him the rest of his money. If he had tried to work with a lawyer who was only slightly bent, he'd have to trust that the lawyer wouldn't turn him in. If he had tried to work with a very bent lawyer, he'd have to trust that the lawyer wouldn't have him tortured until he gave up his money.

While he was definitely a criminal, he was a white-collar criminal from a very white-collar family. He probably had zero connections to underworld figures. So, risking his life going on the run might have seemed like less of a risk than risking that his money and his connections could help him avoid prison time if he didn't run.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 11 months ago (15 children)

You're buying into the story he spent years developing. SBF is a conman from a highly influential family, who used his familial connections to run what essentially was a ponzi scheme. He wasn't a particularly gifted individual, he was just manipulative and had a lot of connections in high places.

He didn't flee because he didn't think he was ever going to prison, and tbh I'm kinda surprised that was the eventual outcome. If it had been any other exchange besides crypto, he probably would have gotten away with it.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 11 months ago (1 children)

He did flee, albeit not to country that doesnt extradite to the US. He tried to hide in his techbro trooical get away in the Bahamas.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago (2 children)

He didn't flee. That's where he was living. That's where the company was based.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago (3 children)

My guess. Dud was just totally disconnected from reality. He isn't that smart and didn't understand how badly he'd fucked up.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Read "Going Infinite" which describes the rise and tall of FTX and SBF. "isn't smart" is not true, but he is definitely not "human smart", but rather "math smart".

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (2 children)

The book tha Michael Lewis wrote and is now being heavily criticized for because he is so far off the mark and totally takes this twerp’s dick all the way down his throat and lets him finish?

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Why didn't he flee? To make gullible folks think he may be innocent because he is acting innocent. He stole billions of dollars from rubes, now he's on to stealing empathy from humans.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (4 children)

To make gullible folks think he may be innocent

lol worked on me 😂 😭 😅

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Yo free mah boi SBF, he's innocent af

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

His extradition options are, to my immediate knowledge:

  • Russia
  • United Arab Emirates

I am certain if he went to either, he'd get killed probably by someone holding the bag on his debt. At a rate quicker than a federal prison.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago

A lot of people in his position of power truly believe their own hype. I no doubt believe he thought that they would never convict him, that he'd be too intelligent for them to catch, and that he'd be able to buy his way out with his powerful connections.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago

Because he's a narcissist that thought he could talk his way out anything. He obviously thought wrong, but I'm willing to bet he still thinks it's everyone else that's wrong.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Because he’s a lazy fuck with severe adhd and he’s a fucking idiot.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

"why didn't he make a run for it" if you realise you will be tried, it is too late. If you try to flee somewhere without a good reason, they will hold you and arrest you.

He's not a genius, but he's also not a total idiot. He knows.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Where would he go? Even countries without extradition treaties can still extradite. There’s no hiding. His options were grim either way.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

On top of the many other reasons here, there's also a pretty distinct difference between countries without a US extradition treaty and countries that won't extradite to the US. Many countries without formal treaties will still happily hand over a US citizen trying to hide in their country. It might be a different story if he had dual citizenship somewhere but anywhere he tried to flee he'd be immigrating illegally.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

it's the hair. just look at it.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Justice rarely finds the wealthy for long. He was probably counting on his money for protection.

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