Sam
Bankman-Fried, the Founder of the insolvent cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, is
finally challenging the decision of Judge Lewis Kaplan to jail him ahead of his
trial billed to start on October 3rd, according to Reuters. Earlier this month,
Judge Kaplan ordered Bankman-Fried to be imprisoned for attempting twice to tamper
with witnesses in the lawsuit. The case was initiated against him by the
United States over the collapse of FTX in November last year.
According
to a court filing seen by Reuters, the former crypto billionaire’s lawyers
entered the appeal at the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals. In revoking
Bankman-Fried’s bail, Judge Kaplan of the US District Court of the Southern
District of New York agreed with US prosecutors that Bankman-Fried violated the
terms of his bail
granted on a $250 million bond in December.
Specifically,
the prosecutors contended that the FTX Founder sought to intimidate Caroline
Ellison, this former ally and romantic partner, by sharing
her personal details with the New York Times. However, in the appeal,
Bankman-Fried’s lawyers asserted that the former FTX CEO simply exercised his
First Amendment right through the action.
The First
Amendment is the first of ten amendments to the US Constitution that are
collectively known as the Bill of Rights. The amendment guarantees the freedom of
religion, speech, press and assembly, among others.
In their
argument, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers wondered how Bankman-Fried’s action could be
considered a threat to Ellison when the details shared with the New York Times were her “own statements”. The
article published by the media establishment described details contained in the documents
it obtained as “personal and raw”, adding that the documents
illustrate the complexity of the relationship between Bankman-Fried and
Ellison.
Currently,
Bankman-Fried is under detention at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in
Brooklyn. In the appeal, the crypto entrepreneur’s legal counsel said the FTX Founder is being handicapped from analysing discovery materials
from prosecutors and properly preparing for his trial.
The lawyers
have repeatedly criticised as inadequate the time the former FTX CEO is permitted to spend with his legal team. In a separate document filed on Friday before the US District Court for the…
