FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's top lieutenants plead guilty to US charges

US prosecutors have charged two of FTX founder Sam-Bankman Fried's closest colleagues in connection with their role in the alleged fraud that contributed to the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange.

Caroline Ellison, the former chief executive of trading subsidiary Alameda Research, and Gary Wang, a co-founder of FTX, have both pleaded guilty, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York said late Wednesday.

“Both Ms. Ellison and Mr. Wang have pleaded guilty to these charges, and they are both cooperating with the Southern District of New York,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who filed charges against Bankman-Fried last week, said in a short video statement On Wednesday.

Williams' announcement came shortly after a plane carrying Bankman-Fried took off from the Bahamas, where he waived his right to challenge extradition to the United States. He is scheduled to appear in a Manhattan court on Thursday morning.

Williams repeated his call for others who worked with Bankman-Fried to come forward. “If you have been involved in wrongdoing and FTX or Alameda, now is the time to get ahead,” he said. “We move quickly and our patience doesn’t last forever.”

A representative for Sam Bankman-Fried declined to comment.