Caroline Ellison's net worth after pleading guilty in the FTX case
Caroline Ellison's net worth once soared into millions during her tenure as leader of Alameda Research, reflecting her role as a prominent crypto trader. However, after the stunning collapse of FTX and subsequent legal battles, her net worth is estimated to be zero, reflecting the dramatic downfall.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- The former Alameda Research CEO has an estimated net worth of $0.
- Caroline Ellison's involvement in the FTX scandal led to a significant drop in her net worth.
- She reportedly received an annual base salary of $200,000 and two bonuses per year, ranging from $100,000 to $20 million.
- After pleading guilty to the FTX case, she was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to forfeit $11 billion to the US government.
- She was the star witness in the criminal case against disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.
Caroline Ellison's profile summary
Full name | Caroline Ellison |
Date of birth | November 1994 |
Age | 31 years (as of 2025) |
Place of birth | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
Current residence | Connecticut, United States |
Nationality | American |
Father | Glenn Ellison |
Mother | Sarah Fisher |
Siblings | Anna and Kate |
Relationship status | Single |
Ex-boyfriend | Sam Bankman-Fried |
Education | Newton North High School and Stanford University |
Profession | Former business executive |
Social media |
Exploring Caroline Ellison's net worth and salary
According to Through Strange Lenses, Caroline Ellison's net worth in 2025 is estimated to be $0. This represents a significant decline from the November 2022 estimate of over $15 million.
Her net worth suffered a significant decline following the collapse of Alameda Research and the 2024 court order to forfeit $11 billion to the US government as part of its plan to compensate FTX fraud victims.
Source: Original
About Caroline Ellison's salary
During her testimony in court, Caroline Ellison testified that she received an annual base salary of $200,000. She also revealed that she could receive two bonuses a year, ranging from $100,000 to $20 million. Additionally, Ellison was awarded shares at FTX, amounting to approximately 0.5% of the company.
A look at Caroline Ellison's cryptocurrency career
After graduating from Stanford, Ellison worked as a junior trader at Jane Street, a global proprietary trading firm, where she met Bankman-Fried. In 2018, she joined Alameda Research, and in October 2021, she became co-CEO of the company alongside Sam Trabucco.
Alameda Research would reportedly make $3 million to $4 million per day before reinvesting the profits in blockchain platforms like Uniswap and Compound. This earned them a spot in the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
In August 2022, Ellison became the CEO of Alameda Research after Trabucco stepped down. Bankman-Fried founded FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange and hedge fund.
Source: Getty Images
Understanding Caroline Ellison's FTX fraud involvement
Between 2019 and 2022, Ellison, under the direction of Sam Bankman-Fried, improperly used FTX customer funds. She would lend the funds to Alameda Research for high-risk trading activities without the customers' consent.
She also manipulated FTX's token, FTT, to inflate Alameda's asset values, misleading investors about the firm's financial health. Additionally, in the months leading up to the collapse of both Alameda and FTX, Caroline allegedly transferred $22.5 million from Alameda to a personal account.
Following the collapse of FTX, Caroline took the stand in court, facing multiple charges including wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. Ellison knowingly misused billions of dollars of FTX customer funds.
Caroline Ellison's whereabouts
On September 24, 2024, Caroline Ellison was sentenced to two years in prison. She is now serving her sentence at a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, United States.
However, it was alleged that her sentence was cut short by a few months and that she is scheduled for release in early 2026. This massive reduction from what she faced as one of the conspirators in the cryptocurrency fraud was largely due to her cooperation, as Judge Kaplan praised her. The judge said,
I’ve seen a lot of cooperators over the years and I’ve never seen one quite like Miss Ellison.
Source: Getty Images
Caroline Ellison's age and early background
Caroline Ellison (31 years as of 2025) was born in November 1994. She is the daughter of two MIT economics professors, Glenn Ellison and Sara Fisher. Ellison has two younger sisters, Anna and Kate.
Caroline attended Newton North High School before enrolling at Stanford University. She graduated in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics.
Who is Sam Bankman-Fried's wife?
Sam Bankman-Fried is an American entrepreneur who was convicted of fraud alongside Caroline Ellison. He is also the founder of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange. He was sentenced to 25 years for the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange and must also forfeit over $11 billion to the US government.
Bankman-Fried is unmarried and has never been married. However, he was in an on-and-off relationship with Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research.
Source: Getty Images
Trivia
- Caroline reportedly invested millions from bonus payments into an AI startup.
- Ellison actively participated in math competitions, including the 2011 International Mathematics Olympiad and the annual William Lowell Putnam Competition.
- She reportedly lived with Bankman-Fried and other individuals in a luxury penthouse in the Bahamas.
Final word
Caroline Ellison's net worth, estimated at $0, highlights the risks of unchecked ambition and the unpredictable nature of the cryptocurrency industry. During her heyday, Ellison's fortunes were tied to inflated valuations and illiquid assets.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
