A judge dismissed on Tuesday rejected jailed cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried’s request for a new trial, labelling the new evidence brought by him as “wildly conspiratorial.”
Judge Questions SBF’s Key Arguments
Bankman-Fried, popularly known as SBF, filed a request for a new trial earlier in February, stating that Daniel Chapsky, former FTX head of partnerships, Ryan Salame, former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO, and Nishad Singh, former FTX engineering director, were “threatened” by the DOJ into silence or changing their statements.
Judge Lewis Kaplan, who sentenced Bankman-Fried to 25 years in prison for the FTX scam, said that none of the witnesses were “newly discovered” and that SBF was aware of them before the trial.
“He could have obtained or at least sought to compel their testimony. But he did neither. His assertion that their absence [or, in one case, the decision of the witness to testify against him] was a product of government threats and retaliation is wildly conspiratorial and entirely contradicted by the record,” the order said.
Interestingly, SBF retracted his motion for a new trial last week, expressing skepticism about receiving a “fair hearing” from Kaplan. The court also shot that request down.
SBF’s Attempts To Secure Trump’s Pardon?
The new motion followed SBF’s claims that FTX was “never bankrupt,” blaming lawyers for filing a bogus bankruptcy case.
However, court records and regulatory complaints describe FTX as deeply insolvent once the hidden deficit at sister trading firm, Alameda Research, came to light in late 2022. SBF was convicted of misappropriating funds from the exchange customers and using the money for personal expenses, political contributions and venture capital investments.
Lately, SBF has been vocal in his support for Trump’s policies, including those linked to the economy, foreign relations, and cryptocurrency. Trump has indicated he has no intention of pardoning him.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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