FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Hires Ghislaine Maxwell Defense Lawyer

Sam Bankman-Fried, the embattled co-founder of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, has retained New York defense attorney Mark Cohen to represent him, according to Bankman-Fried’s spokesperson Mark Botnick.

Cohen was previously part of the team that represented convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. He also successfully defended analyst Peter Black against a Securities and Exchange Commission suit in a 2014 trial. Cohen’s hiring by Bankman-Fried was first reported by Reuters.

Read more: Sam Bankman-Fried Should Shut Up, Bernie Madoff’s Lawyer Says

Bankman-Fried hasn’t been charged with any crime, but federal prosecutors in Manhattan have begun investigating FTX’s collapse due in part to an unexplained $8 billion shortfall in funds. He is also facing class-action lawsuits and regulatory probes by the SEC and Commodities Future Trading Commission. Maxine Waters, chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, also wants Bankman-Fried to appear at a hearing on Dec. 13.