Indicted former FTX head Sam Bankman-Fried is denying witness-tampering allegations levied in opposition to him by federal prosecutors.
In accordance with a brand new court docket submitting, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys say that federal prosecutors are mischaracterizing their consumer’s intentions for giving a New York Instances reporter writings of his former romantic accomplice Caroline Ellison, who’s an anticipated witness within the case in opposition to him.
Additionally, in a separate occasion, his attorneys say that an unnamed witness initiated contact with their consumer, and that Bankman-Fried solely responded to the witness in an try to assist out with FTX’s chapter proceedings.
“The Authorities is fallacious. Its model of occasions mischaracterizes the details and removes them from their correct context to forged Mr. Bankman-Fried’s actions and intentions in essentially the most detrimental gentle attainable.
The paperwork which have since been supplied in discovery clarify that Witness-1 initiated the dialogue with Mr. Bankman-Fried and that Mr. Bankman-Fried’s message to Witness-1 was not an try and tamper along with his testimony, however an try to supply himself as a useful resource within the chapter. Mr. Bankman-Fried used the VPN [Virtual Private Network] to look at soccer and the Authorities has no proof suggesting in any other case.
And Mr. Bankman-Fried’s contact with the New York Instances reporter was not an try and intimidate Ms. Ellison or taint the jury pool. It was a correct train of his rights to make honest touch upon an article already in progress, for which the reporter already had alternate sources.
The total file displays that Mr. Bankman-Fried acted in good religion and with none improper or corrupt intent. This file doesn’t assist detention below both Part 3148 or 3142 of the Bail Reform Act.”
Final week, federal prosecutors requested a decide to revoke Bankman-Fried’s bail, accusing him of witness tampering and impeding their investigation.
“The Authorities writes in additional assist of its movement for the defendant’s bail to be revoked and for the Court docket to enter an order of detention. The defendant’s makes an attempt to tamper with witnesses and intrude with the Authorities’s and public’s proper to a good trial and the due administration of justice, and his sample of circumventing his bail circumstances in that pursuit, show that no set of pretrial launch circumstances can adequately guarantee the security of the group and that the defendant is unlikely to totally abide by any circumstances of launch.”
Bankman-Fried is at present out on bail and dwelling in his dad and mom’ dwelling in Palo Alto, California.
The previous CEO faces a slew of fees associated to the November collapse of FTX, together with allegations that he defrauded prospects and mishandled billions of {dollars} price of their funds. He’s additionally been accused of creating unlawful political donations. If convicted, he might face greater than 100 years in jail.
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