Mr. Bankman-Fried’s trial — on fraud charges stemming from the collapse of his FTX crypto exchange — has brought two disparate worlds into a strange collision, unleashing a hyper-online horde of crypto obsessives (or “degenerates,” as some of them call themselves) into the staid and formal environs of federal court.
As the trial has unfolded, reporters have competed for seats with crypto influencers and online personalities — at least one of whom managed to smuggle a vape pen into the courthouse. Outside the building this week, a lawyer who specializes in working with crypto investors handed out a business card emblazoned with the title “DeFi Defense Lawyer,” a reference to an experimental type of crypto known as decentralized finance. And on the witness stand, FTX executives have had to explain jargon like “FUD,” an acronym for “fear, uncertainty and doubt” that crypto advocates use to dismiss criticism.
Source: Crypto Influencers and ‘Degenerates’ Flock to Sam Bankman-Fried’s Trial – The New York Times
