FTX Founder’s Prison Conditions Raise Concerns

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, has reportedly had a difficult time behind bars, consuming only bread with peanut butter to adhere to his vegan diet and exhausting his supply of prescription medication.

During the same hearing in which Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to seven fraud-related charges, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys pleaded for the former FTX CEO to receive improved treatment at Brooklyn’s infamous Metropolitan Detention Center, according to a transcript obtained by the Inner City Press on August 22.

Bankman-Fried’s attorneys claimed that he was compelled to subsist on bread, peanut butter, and water due to the prison’s lack of vegan food options.

The former leader of FTX refused to consume the “flesh diet” served at the MDC. Mark Cohen, Bankman-Fried’s counsel, stated that his client had not received his ADHD medication since entering prison and was “afraid” they would run out.

“My client is an Adderall user, Moreover, he follows a vegan diet, as do a large number of individuals worldwide. He had not received any Adderall in the previous eleven days.”

Judge Sarah Netburn of the U.S. Federal Court stated that she would investigate Bankman-Fried’s treatment further. The legal team for Bankman-Fried argued that his imprisonment hindered their ability to prepare for his impending trials, the first of which is scheduled to begin on October 2 of this year.

“There are serious Sixth Amendment issues. Our client cannot prepare for trial. He was remanded since August 11. No discovery for 11 days, six weeks from trial. It is voluminous, it can only be reviewed online. We have been offered only fictions as solutions.”

Judge Kaplan ordered on August 21 that Bankman-Fried could contact his attorneys on August 22 in a one-time release. One internet-enabled laptop connected to one WiFi device was made available to him.

During the most recent hearing, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys stated that they had received an offer allowing him to visit the New York courthouse two days per week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

They noted, however, that Bankman-Fried would only have access to a pencil and paper and that he would have to communicate with them by placing his writing against the glass separating them.