FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried, currently under detention, is actively seeking an arrangement that would grant him conditional freedom. This move aims to facilitate collaboration with his legal team in Manhattan throughout the week, as reported by Bloomberg.
Previously set at $250 million, Bankman-Fried’s bail was revoked following allegations hinting at possible witness tampering. Lawyers representing the embattled entrepreneur have reached out to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, articulating the challenges their client faces at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Specifically, they emphasized Bankman-Fried’s struggle in navigating the vast amount of documents and data pertinent to his defense.
A point of contention has been the recent influx of a substantial number of Slack messages, which Bankman-Fried needs to scrutinize in preparation for his trial scheduled this October. Christian Everdell, his lead attorney, has highlighted these concerns to Judge Kaplan.
Bankman-Fried stands accused of orchestrating a long-term scheme that purportedly siphoned off significant amounts from FTX’s customer funds. Nevertheless, he staunchly denies any wrongdoing. Yet, Bloomberg mentions that prosecutors are skeptical about Bankman-Fried’s reluctance to provide exhaustive insights into his defense – particularly the claim that his actions were solely guided by legal counsel.
Authorities have suggested transferring critical case documents to external hard drives for Bankman-Fried’s review while at the detention center. However, they have expressed concerns about loading all the data onto a single computer. An earlier idea, which involved moving Bankman-Fried to a facility with better internet access and a laptop, faced resistance from correctional administrators, as Bloomberg has relayed.