Amr Alfiky/Reuters
Lawyers for ex-billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried are once again pleading with a judge to have him released, saying he will agree to a number of new rules, including a gag order, if he is allowed to stay out of prison while being tried for fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from the collapse of FTX.
In a Monday filing, defense attorneys Mark S. Cohen and Christian R. Everdell wrote to Judge Lewis Kaplan requesting “that the Court order the temporary release of Mr. Bankman-Fried for his upcoming trial because it is ‘necessary for preparation of [his] defense,’” claiming they are “finding it exceedingly difficult as a practical matter to adequately prepare for trial with the restrictions on access currently in place.”
The pair say Bankman-Fried “alone knows the facts which are also critical in preparing his defense,” but visiting restrictions will mean that after the day’s session in court, “defense counsel will have virtually no opportunity to meet with Mr. Bankman-Fried, discuss the day’s testimony and admitted exhibits, and discuss and prepare for the next day’s testimony and exhibits.” They add that while they are meeting with Bankman-Friend “almost daily” at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, at trial “we will lose that ability, except on the weekends and days when the Court is not sitting for trial. We believe that is insufficient access to effectively represent Mr. Bankman Fried at trial.”