Former FTX employee and head of Alameda Research Caroline Ellison has been transferred from a US federal prison to an open correctional facility.
The transfer of Sam Bankman-Freed’s former ally proceeded quietly, and Ellison is now closer to release than many expected when she arrived at prison last year. However, for now, her release date remains unchanged: February 20, 2026, approximately nine months earlier than originally scheduled.
A transfer means that the person may be placed in home quarantine or a rehabilitation center. For reasons of privacy, safety, and security, we do not discuss the conditions of detention of any individual, including the reasons for the transfer or release plans.
We also do not specify the specific location where an individual is home quarantined,» said U.S. Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Randilee Jamousso.
Ellison is serving a two-year sentence for her role in a multi-billion-dollar fraud linked to the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried‘s crypto empire. She pleaded guilty to conspiring with Bankman-Fried in an $11 billion scheme involving FTX and Alameda Research.
In 2023, Ellison testified for the government, telling jurors that he and Bankman-Fried used Alameda Research to house billions of dollars secretly siphoned off from FTX clients.