Sam Bankman-Fried Withdraws Motion for New Trial, Denies Ghostwriting Allegations

Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced laminitis of collapsed crypto speech FTX, has withdrawn his petition for a caller proceedings portion trying to region his parents from caller ineligible efforts, according to a letter received by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan’s chambers connected Tuesday.

Filed successful the Southern District of New York, the missive was written by the erstwhile crypto mogul from a low-security correctional installation successful Lompoc, California—roughly 3,000 miles distant from the courtroom wherever helium was sentenced successful 2024 to 25 years successful prison.

In the missive received by Kaplan connected Tuesday, Bankman-Fried acknowledged that helium shared drafts of the Rule 33 Motion with his parents, Barbara Fried and Joe Bankman. They made editorial suggestions, helium stated, immoderate of which were incorporated into the motion. 

Additionally, Bankman-Fried stated that his parents helped him people the document.

Bankman-Fried had filed a alleged Rule 33 Motion successful February, seeking a do-over aft being convicted of orchestrating a multi-billion-dollar fraud strategy successful 2023. The question claimed that helium was indicted connected mendacious allegations, specified arsenic plundering lawsuit funds from his exchange.

Notably, Sam Bankman-Fried filed the question pro se, indicating that helium was representing himself arsenic his ain attorney. Kaplan changeable backmost with a court order, demanding input connected whether the one-time wunderkind had received assistance with the petition from different attorneys. Kaplan noted that Bankman-Fried risked perjury with his ensuing response.

The petition for a caller proceedings was accompanied by a missive written by his mother, a prof astatine Stanford Law School. Fried stated that she had been authorized by Bankman-Fried to record the proceeding, citing her son’s ongoing incarceration.

“They had nary important input into the eventual motion,” Bankman-Fried stated to the judge. “I americium the eventual writer of the documents and wrote the bulk of them myself, but can't remark connected however you volition yet construe the modular successful practice.”

Bankman-Fried besides told Kaplan that helium is withdrawing his pro se question due to the fact that helium believes that helium won’t “get a just proceeding connected this taxable successful beforehand of you.” His appellate lawyer had antecedently claimed that helium was “presumed guilty” astatine proceedings by Kaplan, among others.

Again, Bankman-Fried stated that helium did not person assistance with the question from his appellate attorney, Alexandra Shapiro, nor others who assisted with his transgression proceedings successful 2023.

President Donald Trump has pardoned respective crypto entrepreneurs since his 2nd word began, including Bankman-Fried’s one-time nemesis, Binance laminitis and erstwhile CEO Changpeng Zhao, who had pleaded blameworthy to anti-money laundering violations.

The president indicated successful January, however, that Bankman-Fried isn’t expected to person akin treatment, per The New York Times. His parents person tried to curry favour with Trump, seeking lawyers who person the president’s ear, per Bloomberg.