Months before the collapse of FTX, some of its U.S.-based employees discovered the so-called backdoor that Alameda Research allegedly used to withdraw billions of dollars of customer funds from the cryptocurrency exchange, people familiar with the matter said.
The employees who made the discovery reported it to the boss of their division, who discussed it with one of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s lieutenants, some of the people said.
But the problem never got fixed. In the summer of 2022, the leader of the team that raised concerns about Alameda’s special privileges was fired.
The backdoor figures prominently in the case against Bankman-Fried, whose trial on criminal charges of fraud began in a New York federal court this week. The former head of FTX has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Source: FTX Employees Found Alameda’s Secret Backdoor Months Before Collapse – WSJ
