The defense of former FTX chief Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has demanded that he be released from custody pending trial, citing the lack of adequate Internet connectivity in federal prison.
According to the document dated September 8, despite the government’s assurance that SBF would have access to a laptop on weekdays from 8 am to 7 pm, the promises have not been fulfilled. The lawyers also gave examples of two cases where their client had to interrupt communication.
On September 1, Bankman-Fried was required to return to his cell for “roll call,” which took four hours away from the preparation process. On September 6, the founder of FTX was unable to view the necessary documents due to a poor Internet connection.
“Despite the government’s efforts, there appears to be no way to solve the problem of internet access in the prison block. […] The defendant cannot prepare for trial with such restrictions,” the statement to Judge Lewis Kaplan said.
The lawyers filed the previous petition for “temporary release” at the end of August. Then they complained about the difficult conditions of detention of the client.
FTX filed for bankruptcy in November 2022. In December, Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas and extradited to the States, where he was released on bail of $250 million.
The court later revoked his release and remanded SBF in custody until a hearing in October 2023.
Let’s remember that in September it became known that Apple paid $5 million for the right to film the book by Michael Lewis about the founder of FTX.
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