New judge appointed in Sam Bankman-Fried case

The criminal case of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has been transferred to a new U.S. judge, Lewis Kaplan. Reuters reports.

The appointment followed the self-recusal of the former judge Ronnie Abrams of the Southern District of New York over a potential conflict of interest.

At a December 19 hearing, she said that the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, in which her husband is a partner, advised FTX in 2021. It is unclear why Abrams did not disclose the recusal earlier.

Judge Kaplan has presided over cases involving former U.S. President Donald Trump, Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey, and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.

On November 11, the FTX Group filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. SBF stepped down as CEO.

Earlier, the arrested in the Bahamas Bankman-Fried agreed to extradition to the United States, where he was released on bail in the amount of $250 million.

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