Sam Bankman-Fried Drops Request for New Trial, Citing Concerns Over Fairness

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has rescinded his motion for a retrial, citing doubts about receiving a fair hearing. In a letter to the presiding judge, Bankman-Fried expressed his intention to potentially renew the motion after the resolution of his direct appeal and a related request for reassignment. Previously, his mother, Barbara Fried, had filed a motion for a new trial, alleging the existence of new evidence that would warrant a retrial. Bankman-Fried, who is currently serving a 25-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy, drafted the motion himself while in detention, with minimal assistance. Although he consulted with his lawyers and family members, he maintained that he was the primary author of the letter. The appeal is currently pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, where his attorney, Alexandra Shapiro, argued that the original trial was fundamentally unfair due to limitations on the evidence Bankman-Fried could present to the jury.