• Sam Bankman-Fried was hit with a new bribery conspiracy charge, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.
  • He spent $40 million or more in crypto to "influence" Chinese officials, prosecutors said.
  • He’s previously pleaded not guilty to the DOJ’s original charges.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of fallen crypto exchange FTX, has been hit with a new bribery conspiracy charge. 

Prosecutors have accused Bankman-Fried of spending "at least" $40 million in crypto on "at least one or more Chinese government officials in order to influence them," according to an updated indictment unsealed on Tuesday. 

A representative for Bankman-Fried did not immediately respond to Insider's emailed request for comment on Tuesday morning.  

In January, Bankman-Fried previously pleaded not guilty to the original 8-count indictment that prosecutors had filed back in December. Prosecutors have since hit him with additional charges, including in an earlier superseding indictment filed in February. Bankman-Fried hasn't entered a plea on the newer charges. 

A representative for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, which brought the charges in this case, declined to comment. 

This is a developing story … 

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