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Who is Jimmy Harkins? Sam Bankman-Fried hires PI who worked for Ghislaine Maxwell and John Gotti Jr

The former NYPD detective has also worked with Calvin Klein, John Gotti Jr, and acted as an officer in Martin Scorcese's 'The Irishman'

BY SIMRAN AGARWAL

PUBLISHED DEC 29, 2022

Sam Bankman-Fried has hired Jimmy Harkins (R), a private investigator known as the 'real hound dog' (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Sam Bankman-Fried, disgraced FTX CEO, has hired Jimmy Harkins, a prominent private investigator known for his tenacity and nicknamed the "real hound dog." Harkins is recognized for his great heart and for finding information for his clients that aids them in significant criminal cases despite his fearsome physique.

Former NYPD detective Harkins, who is highly regarded, has also worked with Calvin Klein, John Gotti Jr, and acted as an officer in the Martin Scorcese movie 'The Irishman'. He was spotted escorting Bankman-Fried out of court in New York after he was released on $250 million bond, as reported by DailyMail. Harkins has also worked for Ghislaine Maxwell, and Bankman-Fried's legal team also includes Christian Everdell, one of Maxwell's attorneys. The renowned New York bail bondsman Ira Judelson referred to Harkins as "the best at what he does."

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Judelson said, "I've known Jimmy for 15 years and we work together all the time. He's a real hound dog. There's attorneys out there that do some kind of plea deals and some who do trial work. Jimmy does both. He's out there, he's a real dog."

Barbara Fried, the mother of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, arrives for his arraignment and bail hearings at Manhattan Federal Court on December 22, 2022 in New York City. Bankman-Fried, who was indicted on December 9th and arrested 3 days later by Bahamas law enforcement at the request of U.S. prosecutors, consented to extradition to the U.S. where he is facing eight criminal counts of fraud, conspiracy and money-laundering offenses which includes making illegal political contributions. He is potentially facing life in prison if convicted. — Barbara Fried, the mother of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and Jimmy Harkins arrive for the arraignment and bail hearings at Manhattan Federal Court on December 22, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Judelson added, "He has a tremendous amount of resources, he's very connected with ex-law enforcement and serving law enforcement. He's very highly respected plus he's a street guy who can get people on the street to talk to him."

Harkins' office is located in Robert De Niro's Tribeca Film Center, and he frequently holds exclusive client meetings at the Tribeca Grill restaurant downstairs. In addition to 'The Irishman', Harkins also appeared as a "burly man" in the film 'The Way Back' and a police officer in the Sopranos prequel 'The Many Saints of Newark', according to IMDB.

Judelson, who previously organized the $6 million bail arrangement for Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief accused of attempting to have sex with a Manhattan hotel maid, claimed Harkins was his top pick for a private investigator in New York.

Judelson stated, "One thing about Jimmy is when you hire Jimmy you get Jimmy. A lot of times when you hire different firms they will farm it out to other people but Jimmy, when I get involved in a case with him it's always him calling me back. That's hands on. I trust him completely."

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried leaves Manhattan Federal Court after his arraignment and bail hearings on December 22, 2022 in New York City. Bankman-Fried, who was indicted on December 9th and arrested 3 days later by Bahamas law enforcement at the request of U.S. prosecutors, consented to extradition to the U.S. where he is facing eight criminal counts of fraud, conspiracy and money-laundering offenses which includes making illegal political contributions. He is potentially facing life in prison if convicted. He was released on $250 million bond with the bail package requiring him to stay with his parents in California. — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried spotted leaving Manhattan Federal Court with Jimmy Harkins after his arraignment and bail hearings on December 22, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Bankman-Fried, 30, will need to use every trick in the book to defend himself against allegations that he used FTX as his personal "piggy bank" to purchase multimillion-dollar residences and finance significant political donations. He has arranged his expensive legal team despite claiming to have only $100,000 to his name.

Questions about Bankman-Fried's genuine wealth were further raised when he was seen taking a business class flight from New York to California on his way to his parents' $4 million home, where he has agreed to reside until trial. Choosing to work with Harkins may undoubtedly be advantageous to him.