Prosecutors’ Proposed Jury Instructions for FTX Co-Founder’s Trial

Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX presents proposed jury instructions for the upcoming trial. In preparation for the October trial of FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, United States prosecutors have submitted their proposed jury instructions.

The lengthy 100-page filing dated August 21 details the jury instructions that prosecutors would like presiding Judge Lewis Kaplan to deliver in the Bankman-Fried case based on the New York district judge’s previous jury instructions in other cases.

In total, prosecutors had 69 requests for instructing the jury in Bankman-Fried’s trial. Source: CourtListener

Each of the seven allegations against Bankman-Fried, including fraud, money laundering conspiracy, wire fraud, commodities fraud, and securities fraud, was broken down.

Prosecutors suggested, for each charge, how Judge Kaplan should present the allegations, the burden of proof or elements the jury must find Bankman-Fried culpable, and the relevant evidence.

Also included were proposed jury instructions outlining how the jury should evaluate the evidence, deliberate, and decide whether or not Bankman-Fried is culpable on each count.

Such proposals are common in criminal trials, but Judge Kaplan will ultimately determine how to instruct the jury. The former FTX chief has been jailed in advance of his trial, which is scheduled to commence on October 2, and faces a second trial on five other counts in March 2024.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center is currently holding Bankman-Fried.

On August 11, Judge Kaplan revoked his bail after prosecutors claimed he released New York Times diary entries from former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison.