U.S. federal authorities have completed the process of selling shares in Anthropic seized from key figures of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX — Caroline Ellison and Nishad Singh. These assets came under state control after the court ordered the former top executives to forfeit the shares as part of their criminal sentences.
Deal Details and Legal Nuances
According to available information, the confiscated stakes were bought out by existing Anthropic investors. However, the exact terms of the deal, including the identities of the buyers and the participant selection mechanism, remain undisclosed. This is typical for such procedures, where priority is given to confidentiality and speed of asset realization.
It is important to emphasize that Ellison and Singh invested in Anthropic jointly with FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. His stake was realized separately — through the bankruptcy process in the interests of the exchange's creditors. In contrast, the assets of his associates were seized by direct court order, which recognized them as potential proceeds obtained through criminal means.
U.S. authorities gained control over Ellison's stake back in February 2025, and over Singh's share in April of the same year. Notably, the proceeds from the sale of these shares, according to bankruptcy filings, were not credited to the estate of the FTX compensation fund. This indicates that the revenue is directed to other government funds, which is standard practice for criminal confiscations.
Analytical Commentary
This step demonstrates the consistency of U.S. regulators in matters of recovering assets linked to the largest financial crimes in the history of the crypto industry. The sale of stakes in Anthropic, one of the most valuable AI startups, allows the state to extract maximum benefit from the confiscated property. At the same time, the lack of transparency in the deal's details may raise questions among observers, but given the sensitivity of such processes, this is expected.
It is worth recalling that in June 2026, information emerged about Bankman-Fried's plans to launch his own token after release. This adds intrigue to the unfolding events surrounding former FTX executives, whose financial machinations continue to haunt the market years later.