Bahamas jail where FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried reportedly heading is 'harsh,' rat-infested: State Department

The Bahamas prison where FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is reportedly heading following his arrest was flagged by the U.S. State Department last year as having "harsh" conditions "due to overcrowding, poor nutrition [and] inadequate sanitation" along with cells "infested with rats, maggots, and insects." 

Bankman-Fried, who was denied bail Tuesday after his arrest a day earlier, is being taken to Fox Hill Prison on New Providence Island, the only government detention center in the Bahamas, according to Reuters. 

"He will be in sick bay for orientation purposes and then we will determine where best to place him," Bahamian Commissioner of Correctional Services Doan Cleare told Reuters, which reported that the medical department area can hold about five people.  

A 2021 U.S. State Department report said prisoners at Fox Hill described "infrequent access to nutritious meals and long delays between daily meals." 

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"Maximum-security cells for men measured approximately six feet by 10 feet and held up to six persons with no mattresses or toilet facilities. Inmates removed human waste by bucket. Prisoners complained of the lack of beds and bedding," the report said. "Some inmates developed bedsores from lying on bare ground. Sanitation was a general problem, and cells were infested with rats, maggots, and insects." 

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"Overcrowding, poor sanitation, and inadequate access to medical care were problems in the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services men’s maximum-security block," the report added. "The facility was designed to accommodate 1,000 prisoners but was chronically overcrowded." 

Cleare told Reuters that despite the State Department report, conditions at Fox Hill have improved. 

"The facilities, most of them have been renovated," Cleare said. "We have one more to go and we don't have any issues with rodents." 

FOX Business has reached out to the Bahamas government for further comment.

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Bankman-Fried has been ordered by a judge to be held in the Bahamas until Feb. 8. 

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District New York have charged Bankman-Fried with eight counts of conspiracy and fraud, according to an indictment that was unsealed Tuesday morning. 

Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.