A month has passed since Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) was convicted on all seven federal criminal charges related to the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, but the once high-flying crypto mogul still makes the news.
Recently, Stanford Law Professor David Mills, the attorney who led his defense, called him the worst witness he has ever seen do a cross-examination. Recall that Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty of two counts of fraud and five counts of conspiracy, all related to his role in the collapse of the FTX exchange.
During his trial, Bankman denied all accusations despite testimonies from prominent prosecution witnesses who claimed he directed them to commit fraud.
SBF’s Attorney Disappointed with Him
Speaking about the trial, the lead attorney, Mills, expressed his disappointment with how Bankman veered away from their strategy, especially how he handled prosecutors’ questions during cross-examination.
“Rather than admitting to statements he’d previously made in the media or attributed to him by the witnesses, he quibbled over prosecutors’ phrasings and claimed repeatedly not to remember making damning statements, coming across as evasive. His cross-examination became a death by a thousand cuts as the prosecutor showed those statements to the jury one by one”. Mills said.
Notably, the attorney said he decided to lead the defense as a favor to Bankman’s parents because they were his friends, but the current situation makes it unlikely that their friendship will continue.
He realized how tough the case was when several law firms he approached to work on the trial turned him down until attorneys Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell agreed to act as trial counsel. Also, the witnesses’ testimonies and SBF’s performance made winning far-fetched. He said:
“I thought it was almost impossible to win a case when three or four founders are all saying you did it. Even if they’re all lying through their teeth, it’s hard to win a case like that”.
Known for helping 3419 individuals out of prison, Mills admitted that he felt he was representing the most hated person on earth during the trial. Disappointed by Bankman’s actions during the cross-examination, Mills did not make himself available on the day of the verdict. Although Bankman is expected to file for an appeal, Mills clearly stated that he will not be involved in the retrial.
