Bill Ackman says Bankman-Fried innocent until proven guilty, citing 2002 Spitzer probe

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman reminded his Twitter followers that Sam Bankman-Fried, the co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX ( FTT-USD ) accused of defrauding investors and customers, remains innocent until proven guilty. While that may not be the popular view, especially among customers who have lost potentially billions of dollars after FTX's demise late last year, Ackman drew a parallel between his experience being investigated in 2002 by then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and the scrutiny of Bankman-Fried. The market manipulation-focused probe into Ackman's former firm Gotham Partners found no wrongdoing, though his reputation was tarnished as a result, Ackman, founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, said earlier this week in a series of Twitter posts . “I don’t know whether SBF is guilty of a crime,” he said. “I therefore reserve judgment until our legal process arrives at a conclusion.” On Thursday, SBF denied federal allegations that he stole funds.