Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has filed an appeal seeking to overturn his conviction on fraud charges. In a scathing 102-page document, Bankman-Fried’s legal team attacked the judge who oversaw the trial, claiming he was biased and prevented a fair defense.
Bankman-Fried’s lawyer, Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, argued that Judge Kaplan’s rulings unfairly limited the evidence they could present, undermining their case. “Sam Bankman-Fried was never presumed innocent,” Shapiro wrote. “He was presumed guilty by the judge who presided over his trial.”
The appeal seeks a new trial for Bankman-Fried, who was convicted of orchestrating a massive fraud that siphoned $8 billion from FTX customers. The 32-year-old has maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which prosecuted the case, declined to comment on the appeal.
Bankman-Fried is currently serving his sentence at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He has been incarcerated there since shortly before his trial began.
