Caroline Ellison
Summary
Caroline Ellison is the former co-CEO and sole CEO of Alameda Research, the cryptocurrency trading firm affiliated with FTX, who pleaded guilty in December 2022 to seven federal counts of fraud and conspiracy related to the misappropriation of billions of dollars in FTX customer funds. She served as the prosecution's star witness in the trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, whose conviction in November 2023 and subsequent 25-year sentence were substantially aided by her testimony. Ellison was sentenced to two years in federal prison in September 2024, ordered to forfeit $11 billion, and was released in January 2026 after serving approximately 14 months.
Connected Entities
1 entities · 10 linked investigations- + 2 more
Timeline(12 events)
2016-09-01
Ellison joins Jane Street Capital full-time as an equities trader after graduating Stanford; is mentored by Sam Bankman-Fried.
2018-03-01
Ellison joins Alameda Research as a trader after Bankman-Fried recruits her.
2021-07-01
Bankman-Fried elevates Ellison to co-CEO of Alameda Research; she later becomes sole CEO.
2022-11-02
FTX collapse begins following CoinDesk report on Alameda's balance sheet; Ellison's role as CEO of the interlinked trading firm comes under scrutiny.
2022-11-11
FTX files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; Sam Bankman-Fried resigns as CEO.
2022-12-18
Ellison pleads guilty in the Southern District of New York to seven counts of fraud and conspiracy; simultaneously enters settlements with the SEC and CFTC.
2023-10-10
Ellison testifies as the prosecution's star witness in the fraud trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, testifying that he directed the misappropriation of FTX customer funds.
2023-11-02
Sam Bankman-Fried is convicted on all seven counts by a jury; later sentenced to 25 years in prison.
2024-09-24
Ellison is sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $11 billion by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in the SDNY.
2024-11-07
Ellison reports to federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut to begin serving her sentence.
2025-10-01
Ellison is transferred from Danbury prison to community confinement.
2026-01-22
Ellison is released from federal custody after serving approximately 14 months; a 10-year SEC executive ban remains in effect.
Decision Log
- hash: EQAUfKsk171tgwMffDt6emVCapuymB74TkY2Qzxehh7G
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain and source URLs are archived via the Internet Archive.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 5/30/2026, 7:11:00 PM
last updated: 5/30/2026, 7:11:04 PM
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