The court rejected Sam Bankman-Fried's request for release
Date: 2023-09-13 Author: Karina Ziganova Categories: BUSINESS, IN WORLD
The founder of the FTX crypto exchange Sam Bankman-Fried will remain in prison until the court hearing. Judge Lewis Kaplan denied his request for temporary release.
Bankman-Fried was released on bail after his arrest, but a judge in the Southern District of New York revoked it in August. The prosecution presented evidence that he tried to interfere with witnesses on at least two occasions.
Lawyers for the former FTX director have repeatedly argued that he needs access to the case file, most of which is only available online. The defense complained about poor WiFi in the cell where the defendant is located.
In turn, the Department of Justice argued that Bankman-Fried had daily access to laptops and hard drives, and could also use the Internet twice a week. The department also demanded that defense witnesses be excluded from the trial, arguing that their testimony was not relevant to the case.
The judge added that the defense had enough time to ask for an extension to the trial date, which is currently scheduled to start on October 3. However, no such requests were received.
“The defense may file an additional motion based on stronger and more compelling evidence,” Lewis Kaplan said.
In early September 2023, the district judge denied another request by SBF lawyers for their client's immediate release.
