Caroline Ellison Jailed: Where Will Ex-Alameda Research Chief Serve 2-Year Sentence?

Key Takeaways

• Caroline Ellison is scheduled to begin her 2-year sentence on Nov. 7, 2024, in Boston.
• Ellison will serve the sentence at a minimum-security federal prison in Boston, close to her family.
• The maximum charges for Ellison totaled 110 years.

After playing a pivotal role in the FTX collapse and the criminal case against her former boyfriend, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), ex-Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Caroline Ellison Sentenced

Thanks to her “extraordinary cooperation”, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, has advised that Ellison be sent to a minimum-security federal prison upon her scheduled surrender on Nov. 7, 2024. Notably, Ellison will be jailed at a facility near her family in Boston.

In the court filings, prosecutors describe her testimony as the “cornerstone of the trial” against SBF, who has given a sizeable 25 years in prison for his role in the fraud. Kaplan added:

“I’ve seen a lot of cooperators in 30 years here. I’ve never seen one quite like Ms. Ellison.”

Kaplan, who oversaw the sentencing of SBF, describes the whole debacle as “the greatest financial fraud ever committed in this country.”

Ellison pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud. She also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

Ellison received a very lenient sentencing for her role in the scandal. It’s worth noting that these charges carry a 110-year maximum sentence . Ellison has also been ordered to forfeit $11.02 billion in restitution, though it’s unlikely Ellison will ever be able to repay it.

A Light Sentencing

After pleading guilty to charges almost 2 years ago, before FTX filed for bankruptcy, Ellison quickly committed herself to cooperating with investigators. Prosecutors noted:

“In her many meetings with the Government, Ellison approached her cooperation with remarkable candor, remorse, and seriousness,”

Ellison’s remorse stood in stark contrast to that of SBF, in that she was very upfront and upset with her role in the disaster. Kaplan noted that SBF only seemed upset because he had finally been caught.

Furthermore, prosecutors praised Ellison for her speed and level of cooperation. Within a short span of time, Ellison had numerous meetings with the government. She pleaded guilty to a “full slate of misconduct” within a “complex financial fraud.”

Prosecutors note that it was “particularly unusual.” Regardless, it’s landed Ellison in the good graces of the law, and seen a 110-year maximum sentence cut down to just 2.