Bankman-Fried Drops Request for New Trial, Citing Unfair Hearing Concerns

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, has retracted his request for a new trial, expressing concerns that he would not receive a fair hearing. Currently serving a 25-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy related to FTX's collapse, Bankman-Fried indicated that he might refile the motion after the outcome of his direct appeal and a related request for reassignment. The initial motion for a new trial was submitted by his mother, Barbara Fried, citing newly discovered evidence. Bankman-Fried drafted the motion himself while in detention, with minimal assistance, and consulted with his lawyers and family members. He may revisit the motion after the appeal, currently pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, where his attorney argued that the original trial was fundamentally unfair due to restrictions on the evidence presented to the jury.