U.S. prosecutors have formally opposed Sam Bankman-Fried‘s request for a new criminal trial. In court documents, they argued he failed to meet the legal standard for a retrial, stating that testimony from former FTX executives was not newly discovered evidence. Bankman-Fried was convicted in 2023 on seven fraud and conspiracy counts related to the exchange’s collapse.
U.S. prosecutors urged a federal judge to reject Sam Bankman-Fried‘s request for a new criminal trial. They argued the former FTX chief failed to meet the legal standard required to grant a retrial.
Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried’s claim about new witness testimony does not undermine the government’s case. They stated that testimony cited from former executives Ryan Salame and Daniel Chapsky was known to the defense before the 2023 trial.
Bankman-Fried filed the motion for a new trial in February. His defense argued that testimony from Salame and Chapsky could challenge the prosecution’s account of FTX‘s financial condition before its collapse.
Judge Kaplan ordered prosecutors to respond to the motion by March 11. The judge has not yet ruled on whether the motion will proceed.
Bankman-Fried separately continues to appeal his conviction. A jury convicted him in November 2023 on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy.
He was later sentenced to 25 years in prison. The charges were related to the misuse of customer funds at FTX and its sister firm, Alameda Research.
His court efforts have unfolded alongside public speculation about a presidential pardon. On Feb. 1, Bankman-Fried praised U.S. President Donald Trump‘s crypto stance in social media posts.
That speculation has so far gone nowhere publicly. Trump reportedly told The New York Times he had no intention of pardoning Bankman-Fried.
