TechFlow reports on December 9 that according to Forbes, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) is writing a prison diary while detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn. His father, Joe Bankman, has shared excerpts with the media and hired Walter Pavlo—a former white-collar offender and Forbes contributor—as an advisor to explore publishing opportunities. While the memoir could earn a seven-figure advance in royalties, under his sentencing terms SBF must repay $11 billion in restitution, and all income will go toward compensating FTX victims.
The diary portrays prison life with anthropological detail: he categorizes inmates into three groups. Most become "innies" ("insiders"), who "would fight over a banana or trade anything for drugs"; the second group comprises long-sentence prisoners who have given up on life; the third, which he identifies with, consists of rebels and resisters.
On material conditions, he traded two muffins with a drug addict for a pillow made from mattress stuffing. After complaining about the lack of clocks in prison, he had to spend a third of his allowance ($42.25) on a digital watch.
The journal also details interactions with his cellmate "Harry," a muscular homophobic man who loves "Bohemian Rhapsody" and is passionate about sports betting.
