Prosecutors handling the criminal case against Sam Bankman-Fried, the former chief executive of FTX, have asked for more time to investigate the potential legal ramifications of Bankman’s Fried’s use of a virtual private network, sometimes known as a VPN.

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams testified in a document filed February 13 with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York that the Department of Justice discovered that Bankman-Fried accessed the internet on January 29 and February 12, the latter date being the day of Super Bowl LVII. Williams says the government’s position was that the use of a virtual private network (VPN) “raises a number of potential concerns.” He cites the example of US-based users accessing certain international crypto exchanges, as well as the hiding of data from websites Bankman-Fried may be visiting.

In the petition, it was said that the use of a virtual private network (VPN) “enables the transfer of data without discovery through a secure and encrypted connection.” [and] it is a more secure and covert way to access the dark web.” “The defense maintains that the defendant was not using a virtual private network (VPN) for any illegal purpose, and has stated that he would appreciate the opportunity to participate in negotiations with the government on the problem,”

Mark Cohen, a lawyer at Cohen & Gresser defending SBF in the criminal action, claims that the former FTX CEO used the VPN to watch sporting events, including the Super Bowl. He went on to say that until the dispute between the lawyers was resolved, Bankman-Fried would not employ a virtual private network (VPN).

“You watched the AFC Championship game on January 29, 2023, as well as the NFC Championship game, then you watched the Super Bowl on February 12, 2023. This use of a virtual private network does not create any of the concerns expressed by the government in its letter.

According to the court filing, Fried’s team, legal at Bankman, was reportedly considering whether the former FTX CEO’s use of a virtual private network (VPN) could be added as a condition of his release. Since SBF’s arrest, the prosecution has already requested that the court place restrictions on Fried’s use of specific Bankman messaging apps and order him to stop contacting current or former FTX and Alameda Research workers. Bankman-Fried’s lawyers and US prosecutors asked for more time until February 17 to explore the potential implications of SBF’s use of a virtual private network (VPN) for their bail conditions.

Bankman-Fried’s criminal trial is scheduled to begin in October and he is expected to face eight counts related to wire fraud and failure to comply with campaign money rules. Civil lawsuits SBF faces from the US Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission will be put on hold until the end of the criminal case, according to a February 13 court ruling.