US federal prosecutors on Wednesday demanded that they detain the disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) until the trial starts in October. Presenting the motion, the US DOJ alleged that Bankman-Fried allegedly incited and tampered with witnesses while on bail.
Opening the hearing, US assistant attorney Danielle Sassoon presented the latest request by the DOJ. She noted that allowing SBF to remain on bail would not secure the safety of the community.
“There are no set of conditions short of detention that could satisfy public safety,” Sassoon stated, citing the documents released to the NYT last week revealing former Alameda Research boss Caroline Ellison’s private discussions. The US DOJ earlier filed a lawsuit demanding that SBF get stricter bail terms so he would not interfere in a fair trial by making an impartial jury.
Extrajudicial Contacts
Sasson stated that SBF has been in contact with reporters, sending out over 100 emails to them. The US assistant attorney noted that the indicted FTX founder had had more than a century of phone calls with one NYT reporter who allegedly authorized the Ellison write-up.
Furthermore, concerns over Bankman-Fried’s frequent contact with author Michael Lewis were raised. The prosecutors cited that SBF had over 500 phone calls with him, aiding the writing of a book on FTX’s demise, which will debut a few weeks before the trial.
Improper Process: SBF’s Attorney
Speaking on the demands by the US DOJ, SBF’s attorney, Mark Cohen, stated that the federal prosecutors followed an improper process in the filing.
“We learned one minute before the court hearing about the change in direction; it is not the proper process,” Cohen noted.
Cohen also noted that although contact with the media was not “the best strategy” for Bankman-Fried, the indicted FTX owner used the press to clear his name from negative rumors.
The presiding judge, Lewis Kaplan, did not immediately grant the federal prosecutors their request. Rather, he gave them until Friday to file their petition officially, to which SBF’s camp had until Tuesday to respond.
Bankman-Fried has faced a series of charges based on his conduct since getting a $250 million bail term. The former FTX boss allegedly used a VPN to connect to the internet and communicate with witnesses. A decision by Kaplan could see him return to jail before his October trial.
