crypto | REDBROWARD

Video courtesy of Chris Nelson

Broward School Superintendent Vickie Cartwright finally addressed the growing scandal surrounding an FTX Hackathon won by three Broward students. As REDBROWARD first reported in November, the 2022 FTX Hackathon and Crypto Summit offered a one million dollar prize to students from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach schools. The prize was split between Broward students and students from an Alonzo Mourning school in Miami.

In November, FTX imploded after investors learned of accounting irregularities by founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) and his partners. Bankman-Fried was arrested last month by Federal authorities. Experts believe FTX will attempt to collect the prize money from the students due to alleged fraud by SBF.

The FTX Hackathon was the brainchild of his SBF’s father Joe Bankman. His aunt Barbara Miller organized the event with the help of Broward School Board Member Debbi Hixon. Miller is a Democrat political consultant with close ties to numerous School Board Members.

In an exclusive interview with REDBROWARD last November, Hixon confirmed each student received a $15,000 scholarship for winning the Hackathon. The $500,000 grand prize was deposited with an entity at Florida International University (FIU).

Last night at a Broward Schools town hall in Pompano Beach, activist Chris Nelson asked Superintendent Cartwright and Hixon about the FTX matter.

Cartwright read the following statement:

“The FTX charity hackathon was open to students from across south Florida. The competition was not organized by Broward County Public Schools and the District was not a recipient of any funds from FTX.”

But questions still remain.

Did any organization with ties to the District act as a “bridge” between the District and FTX. Did any of these organizations or foundations receive money from FTX?

Why did FIU get the $500,000 prize won by Broward students?

Barbara Fried speaks to Barbara Miller (standing behind Kevin O’Leary)

Following the arrest of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, investigators want to know how involved his parents Joe Bankman and Barbara Fried were in his cryptocurrency scheme. Published reports have focused upon Joe Bankman’s role as a legal advisor as well as a driving force behind the philanthropic efforts of the FTX Foundation. These reports claim Barbara Fried had little to no involvement in FTX.

However, pictures of the March 2022 FTX Hackathon and Crypto Summit in Miami appear to show Barbara Fried had a front row seat for the festivities.

As REDBROWARD previously reported, the FTX Hackathon was organized by Joe Bankman and his sister Barbara Miller, a Broward Democrat political lobbyist. One of Miller’s clients, Broward School Board Member Debbie Hixon, was paid to help enroll students from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. While Joe Bankman and Debbie Hixom were centerstage at the event, Barbara Miller was relegated to a behind the scenes role.

Photos and video of the event appear show Barbara Fried sitting in the front row of the audience alongside her brother-in-law James Fox Miller. While the photos are not proof of involvement in FTX business decisions, it shows Barbara Fried did leave her Stanford, California home to partake in the FTX lifestyle with her family.