Sam Bankman-Fried Files Appeal After Conviction for Fraud and Conspiracy

Sam Bankman-Fried Files Appeal Following Conviction

Sam Bankman-Fried, the controversial founder of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has officially filed an appeal on Friday, challenging the rulings of the judge who presided over his trial. Bankman-Fried was convicted on multiple charges, including fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering, a verdict that stemmed from a highly publicized trial in New York that lasted for a month last fall.

In March, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the Federal District Court in Manhattan sentenced Bankman-Fried to an extensive 25-year prison term for his role in a massive scheme that allegedly defrauded customers of approximately $8 billion.

In the 102-page appeal document, Bankman-Fried’s attorney, Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, argued for a new trial, citing numerous rulings made by Judge Kaplan that they believe unjustly restricted the defense’s ability to present evidence. Shapiro’s argument emphasized a significant concern: “Sam Bankman-Fried was never presumed innocent,” she stated, adding that he was instead “presumed guilty by the judge who presided over his trial.”

A spokesperson for Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, declined to comment on the appeal filing, stating that the office had no plans to engage publicly on the matter.

It’s important to note that appealing a federal conviction is often a challenging endeavor. Bankman-Fried, who is currently 32 years old, has consistently maintained his innocence since the onset of the fraud charges that were brought against him shortly after the collapse of FTX in November 2022. He has been serving his sentence at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has been held since just before the commencement of his trial.