Sam Bankman-Fried Asked for a New Trial. Prosecutors Used His Own Donations to Say No.

Sam Bankman-Fried wanted a second chance in court. Prosecutors just made clear that it isn’t happening.

Federal prosecutors filed a court response on Wednesday opposing the FTX founder’s request for a retrial, arguing he has not shown his 2023 conviction was unfair.

The “New Witnesses” Argument Didn’t Hold Up

SBF’s February filing, submitted by his mother because he is representing himself from prison, cited two former FTX executives, Daniel Chapsky and Ryan Salame, as witnesses whose testimony could have changed the outcome of his trial.

Prosecutors rejected that. Both men were “fully known to the defense before trial,” they wrote, and could have been called at the time.

“The defense’s decision not to put the witnesses on his witness list or compel their testimony forecloses any claim that their post-trial views are newly discovered.”

The Biden Claim That Backfired

SBF also argued his prosecution was an example of Biden-era DOJ weaponization. Prosecutors called the argument “incoherent” and “fanciful,” pointing out that he was one of the largest Democratic donors in 2020 and 2022, and that his campaign finance crimes were tied directly to those contributions.

Also Read: “The Biggest Question for Crypto”: Sam Bankman-Fried Triggers AI Payments Debate

Where Things Stand Now

Bankman-Fried is currently serving his 25-year sentence at a federal correctional institution in California. His separate appeal at the Second Circuit is still pending, though judges were skeptical when arguments were heard last November.

Caroline Ellison, SBF’s former girlfriend and key prosecution witness, has already been released after 440 days in custody. A Trump pardon was also ruled out by the White House.

Judge Lewis Kaplan has yet to rule on the new trial motion.

The case is US v. Bankman-Fried, 22-cr-00673, US District Court, Southern District of New York.

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