Following the dramatic collapse of FTX, crypto influencers are flying to Bahamas for a treasure hunt...in this case for former billionaire, Sam Bankman-Fried.
Ben Armstrong, who runs the YouTube channel "BitBoy Crypto" flew to the Caribbean to confront the cryptocurrency's blue-eyed boy. He has been chronicling his widely-applauded investigation in a series of Twitter posts.
Its believed that SBF is hiding out inside an ultra-luxe Bahamas resort after allegedly fleecing thousands of investors for billions of dollars around the world.
The Hideout
Sam Bankman-Fried's hideout is believed to be the Albany Resort southwest of Nassau. It covers 600 waterfront acres, with a rare collection of amenities that make it a quite island getaway, that is, a sportsperson's paradise – elegant retreat and genuine community. It's described as a go-to place for the ultra wealthy to enjoy a tropical paradise with interruptions from the so-called regular people.
According to Fox News, SBF's $40 million penthouse tops the Orchid building – the southernmost tower on the Albany mega yacht marina's west side. Shaped like a yacht itself, the six-storey structure faces south, toward the sea. Maintenance fees are listed at more than $20,000.
Moreover, the resort includes a mega-yacht marina, a private school, and a gold course. The Albany is hosting the Hero World Challenge tournament from December 1 to 4 with proceeds to go to the Tiger Woods Foundation. The Albany community's ownership group includes the likes of Justin Timberlake, golfers Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, as well as Joe Lewis the billionaire British financier.
SBF is said to have bought additional condo units for $32 million, as per Reuters, over the last several years. His Bahamas real estate holdings are valued at around $121 million. In Orchid Penthouse 6 which has five bedrooms, 7.5 bathrooms and a full-sized bar, SBF is said to have lived with a handful of inner-circle executives.
Crowdfunding Influencer's Investigations
Another YouTuber, Gabriel Haines has posted several video rants about the calamity surrounding SBF and FTX on Twitter. He even claimed to have successfully crowdfunded $10,000 to fly him and his family to the Bahamas. However, Haines isn't too confident about finding SBF. But he hopes his videos can provide some relief to a community that is still reeling from the abrupt shuttering of one of the largest and most popular crypto exchanges.
"I want to make some good, fun content that people will enjoy. People will have lost a lot of money in this, and I have gotten so many messages from people, how they have felt so much better from watching my videos about SBF and the whole collapse," he said.
Haines successfully raised funds through Juicebox, a protocol that lets people donate Ethereum to certain projects. More than 60 payments were made on Juicebox to "Send Gabriel Haines to the Bahamas". This is currently the top trending project on the platform. The crypto influencer revealed that he became aware that the crypto community was interested to send him to the Bahamas when he came across a poll posted by a Twitter user in which 75% of the 2,000 respondents agreed that they should pool funds.
"I think it's a very unique thing that happened because I don't know how often the content creators are funded to go to particular places to create content," Haines said. In regards to Ben Armstrong also probing SBF in Bahamas, he said it fulfils a need for information about what's going on and addresses some of the crypto community's frustrations.
