Sam Bankman-Fried Seeks Temporary Release Before Trial

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, had his attorneys request his temporary release from prison before his upcoming trial next month.

On Monday, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys argued in a letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan that Bankman-Fried’s provisional release is “necessary for the preparation of [his] defense.”

His attorneys noted that the court has previously acknowledged the difficulty of preparing an intricate case for trial. “As a practical matter, we find it extremely challenging to prepare for trial under the current access restrictions adequately,” the petition states.

“This is not a trivial point to make, but it is the actuality of the situation.”

The defense attorney for Bankman-Fried added that they will have minimal access to him in the cellblock in the morning before the trial begins.

“When the trial day concludes, he will be returned to the MDC well after visiting hours have ended,” the attorneys explained.

They added, “We believe that temporary release is the only means for defense counsel to have adequate access to Mr. Bankman-Fried to represent him at trial adequately.”

If convicted of various offenses, including fraud, the disgraced founder could face over 100 years in prison.

Over the past few weeks, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys have urged the district court to grant the former FTX CEO’s temporary release from prison to review documents ahead of his trial.

In August, his attorneys claimed that the Department of Justice’s request to revoke his bond was based on “thin” factual grounds and that such a move would violate his right to free expression.

This was in response to his release of private diaries from Caroline Ellison to the press.

However, the Department of Justice has previously stated that Bankman-Fried, detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, has sufficient access to a laptop to examine necessary documents.

Judge Kaplan excluded certain witnesses from the Bankman-Fried trial last week. The judge ruled that a British attorney, a University of Michigan professor, and others would not testify at the trial.