Lawyers Again Urge Release for Bankman-Fried Ahead of Trial Date

Sam Bankman-Fried’s legal team is again urging for his temporary release, this time for the duration of his upcoming trial set to begin on October 3.

In a letter sent on Monday to Judge Kaplan, the attorneys highlighted the necessity of their client’s release for the effective “preparation of [his] defense.”

Noting that “the Court has previously noted that it understands the difficulties of preparing a complex case for trial,” they explained that the limited access to the evidence allowed to their client constitutes an obstacle to adequate preparation of the trial.

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Jason NelsonAug 22, 2023

“We submit that we are finding it exceedingly difficult as a practical matter to adequately prepare for trial with the restrictions on access currently in place,” they wrote.

During the last months, SBF’s legal team made numerous requests for their client’s release, which were all rejected.

Decrypt has reached out to Bankman-Fried’s legal team for comment.

Thousands of pages of material

Bankman-Fried’s lawyers emphasize the vast amount of evidence they must review with their client, underscoring the need for more time.

“The government has provided us with a list of over 50 potential witnesses, thousands of pages of 3,500 material, and over 1,300 exhibits,” Bankman-Fried’s lawyers write in the letter.

They further note that a significant portion of this is intricate financial records, adding layers of complexity to the case.

Consequently, they voiced significant concerns about their ability to effectively represent their client during the upcoming trial, citing limited consultation time when the court isn’t in session.

To address this, they’ve drafted a detailed proposal for Bankman-Fried’s release on October 2, a day ahead of the trial, under certain stipulated conditions.

Within this proposal, it’s specified that outside of court hours, Bankman-Fried will spend his time either at his lawyers’ office, an approved workspace, or a temporary residence in New York City, which will be overseen by a professional security guard.

After each day’s court proceedings, he’ll be allowed to meet with his lawyers for essential trial preparations. To further ensure security, a private security guard will meet Bankman-Fried each night at his lawyers’ location and will oversee his movements between there, his temporary residence, and the courthouse.

While at his temporary residence, Bankman-Fried will be cut off from all electronic devices and online platforms, with no visitors allowed.

Furthermore, according to the proposal, the disgraced crypto founder “will consent to a gag order that will prohibit him from speaking to anyone for the duration of the trial except his attorneys, other members of the defense team, his parents, and his brother.”