Sam Bankman-Fried loses bid to get out of jail, appeals court to hear case

Sam Bankman-Fried on Wednesday lost his bid to be immediately released from a Brooklyn jail so he could better prepare for his criminal trial, less than a month from now, over the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

In rejecting Bankman-Fried’s request, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan nonetheless said it would ask the next available three-judge panel to consider it.

A spokesman for Bankman-Fried declined to comment.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan on Aug. 11 revoked Bankman-Fried’s $250 million bail after determining that the former billionaire likely tampered with witnesses at least twice.

Bankman-Fried quickly appealed, arguing that she would not be able to adequately prepare for her trial behind bars scheduled for October 3.

Prosecutors say Bankman-Fried stole billions in FTX client funds to cover losses at Alameda Research, his hedge fund.

    Sam Bankman-Fried in court last monthSam Bankman-Fried lost his bid to be immediately released from a Brooklyn jail so he could better prepare for his criminal trial next month. REUTERS

They pushed for Bankman-Fried to be jailed after he shared the personal writings of Caroline Ellison, Alameda’s former CEO and former romantic partner, with a New York Times reporter.

Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges and said she shared Ellison’s writings to defend her reputation, not to intimidate her.

Ellison is expected to testify against him.

In court documents Tuesday, lawyers for Bankman-Fried said the agreement to give her several hours a day to review evidence on a laptop at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn has proven inadequate. They said she lost more than four hours on Friday when she had to return to her cell to conduct the prisoner count, and lost more time over the weekend.

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Sam Bankman-Fried wearing prison clothesSam Bankman-Fried at a hearing on August 22.REUTERS

The US attorney’s office in Manhattan said the jail authorized Bankman-Fried’s purchase of a second laptop.

Bankman-Fried’s lawyers have not tried to delay the trial. Kaplan said last week that he would consider such a request.

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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