Sam Bankman-Fried Remains in Prison Ahead of Trial

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) will remain in custody until the bankruptcy trial. The appellate courtdenied the motion by his lawyers for release.

On September 8, the defense for the former FTX chief requested his release before trial, citing a lack of adequate internet access in prison.

In August, a federal judgerevoked his bail release and remanded him in custody until the next hearing, scheduled for October.

The record shows that the district court considered all relevant factors in the case, including the defendant-appellant’s conduct during the period that required multiple tightening of his detention conditions, — the document states.

Earlier this month, the judgegranted the prosecution’s motion to block each of the proposed SBF expert witnesses. The ruling also noted the denial of the defense’s motion to bar the government-called witness from testifying.

The defense has the option to renew their bid to call individuals from this list. But DOJ officials may again object, according to the ruling.

Earlier, Bankman-Fried was indicted on 13 counts. Subsequently, prosecutors dropped the charges related to financing some politicians as part of a deal with the defense. The founder of FTX has not pleaded guilty to any of the counts, including the bribery of a Chinese official.

Earlier, journalists revealed the role of SBF’s parents in building the FTX business empire. Following that, platform representatives filed suit against them.