Judges deny Sam Bankman-Fried’s appeal for early release

A three-judge panel from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has denied a motion for early release for former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, or SBF. 

In a Sept. 21 order, Circuit Judges John Walker Jr., Denny Chin, and William Nardini denied SBF’s motion for early release, which his team argued largely on First Amendment grounds. The ruling said Judge Lewis Kaplan — the judge overseeing SBF’s criminal case — had “correctly determined” that Bankman-Fried’s speech amounted to witness tampering.

“The record shows that the district court thoroughly considered all of the relevant factors, including [Bankman-Fried’s] course of conduct over time that had required the district court to repeatedly tighten the conditions of release,” said the Sept. 21 order. “It also shows that the district court contemplated a less restrictive alternative offered by [SBF] —an order limiting his communications with the press—but reasonably concluded this was not ‘a workable solution longer term.’”

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.