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Sam Bankman-Fried, the former boss of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has agreed to be extradited to the US to face charges.
The 30-year-old, who lives in the Bahamas, has been accused of committing “one of the biggest financial frauds in US history”, US authorities have said.
FTX has filed for bankruptcy, leaving many people unable to withdraw funds. According to a court filing, FTX owed its 50 largest creditors almost $3.1bn (£2.5bn).
It is not clear when Mr Bankman-Fried will be extradited to the US, following his arrest on 12 December. A court hearing in the Bahamas is scheduled for Wednesday that could set the stage for his extradition to the US, Reuters reported.
Last week, Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Mr Bankman-Fried was accused of one of the largest frauds in US history.
The FTX founder was also accused of using “tens of millions” in ill-gotten gains for illegal campaign contributions to Democrats and Republicans alike, Mr Williams said.
The Securities and Exchange Commission said the man who was formerly nicknamed the “King Of Crypto” had built a “house of cards on a foundation of deception”.
The FTX exchange allowed customers to trade normal money for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
Cryptocurrencies are not traditional currencies, but are stored online and act more like investment vehicles or securities – often with a high degree of volatility.
FTX had an estimated 1.2 million registered users who were using the exchange, but many have been left wondering if they will ever get back their cash trapped in FTX’s digital wallets.