FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Appeals Fraud Conviction, Requests Retrial
On September 13, Sam Bankman-Frieds lawyers submitted a 102-page brief to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, claiming that the former FTX CEO was “never presumed innocent” and was subject to scrutiny that allegedly influenced prosecutors, the presiding judge, and the media. According to the appeal, SBF‘s lawyers argue that the jury “was only allowed to see half of the situation regarding FTX user funds” and allege that prosecutors “made false claims” by stating that the funds were permanently lost, and that Bankman-Fried deliberately caused this loss. They further assert that FTX debtors’ attorneys collaborated with the U.S. government in a manner beyond “cooperation,” supposedly acting as an “extension of the prosecution” by providing information. The appeal reads: “From day one, the mainstream narrative has been that Bankman-Fried stole billions of dollars in customer funds, leading to FTX‘s collapse and resulting in billions of dollars in losses. This narrative was originally fabricated by the lawyers who took over FTX and was later adopted by contacts within the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” It goes on to claim that “Now, nearly two years later, a different picture has emerged—confirming that FTX was never insolvent and actually had billions of dollars in