Bankman-Fried’s case was a high-pressure test of Williams’s trumpeted aim to pursue white collar prosecutions selectively and swiftly. In part, the defense team banked on prosecutors’ speed undermining their ability to put on a strong, trial-ready case. Thursday’s verdict sends a different message to the financial world.
“This case moved at lightning speed,” Williams said at a press conference after the verdict. “That was not a coincidence. That was a choice.”
Williams has often said that prosecutors need to address major controversies while they’re in the public eye. In the case of FTX, customer outrage over the exchange’s collapse added to the pressure to act quickly and decisively.
Interviews with half a dozen former prosecutors, colleagues and friends of Williams and Assistant US Attorney Danielle Sassoon offer insight into how the massive prosecution came together so swiftly.
Source: Swift SBF Conviction Vindicates Prosecution ‘Need for Speed’
