The US authorities have upheld the conviction and sentencing of Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the now-defunct FTX exchange, following his appeal to overturn the decision related to the FTX collapse.
In a recent court filing, it was stated that the government found no merit in Bankman-Fried’s claims and affirmed the jury’s verdict and the trial’s outcome.
Bankman-Fried had appealed his conviction in September at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, citing judicial bias and procedural errors by Judge Lewis Kaplan during his trial.
He argued that the judge’s rulings limited key defense arguments and evidence regarding his investments, and downplayed FTX’s financial difficulties, suggesting that customers could still recover their funds.
Despite his assertions, the government rejected his appeal, stating that there were no errors or prejudice in the original trial. They defended the court’s decisions as lawful and standard in fraud cases, including the “no-ultimate-harm” instruction and evidentiary rulings.
The government also supported the court’s denial of Bankman-Fried’s request to compel third-party Debtors to produce specific files, noting that he had already received the requested items and failed to identify any other crucial evidence he was denied.
In their filing, the government emphasized that Bankman-Fried did not demonstrate any violation of his right to a fair trial, reinforcing their stance that the conviction and sentence should remain unchanged.