With his request for a pardon denied, Sam Bankman-Fried will now focus solely on appealing his conviction, having abandoned plans to pursue a new trial.
As a researcher following the FTX case, I’ve learned that Sam Bankman-Fried has decided to stop pursuing a new criminal trial for now. He’s still planning to appeal his conviction, but he’s put the request for a new trial on hold. This came after prosecutors raised concerns and the judge questioned his motives, so it seems like he’s reassessing his strategy.
SBF Drops Retrial Request After Questions Over Filing Process
A document filed with the New York court shows Sam Bankman-Fried is withdrawing his request for a new trial. He had asked for a new trial after being found guilty of fraud in 2023 related to the failure of FTX. Bankman-Fried stated he’s withdrawing the request for now, but may ask for it again in the future.
Sam Bankman-Fried responded to questions from Judge Lewis Kaplan about whether he had legal help while filing court documents himself. Prosecutors were concerned about whether he was truly acting on his own when he requested more time in March.
In response, Bankman-Fried said he authored the filing himself but discussed it with his parents.
The focus is now on his ongoing appeal, which is still being considered by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He previously asked for a different judge, claiming the original judge showed unfairness during the trial, but that request hasn’t been decided either and wasn’t impacted by his recent decision to withdraw.
No Lifeline From Trump: SBF Turns Fully to Appeal After Pardon Snub
Sam Bankman-Fried explained that answering the court’s questions took time away from building his legal defense against the prosecutors. He also worried he wouldn’t get a fair review of his request for a new trial as things currently stand. Because of these concerns, he’s decided to pause his efforts to request a new trial for now.
In 2023, the former head of a major cryptocurrency exchange was convicted of misusing customer funds, resulting in losses of billions of dollars. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison and is currently incarcerated at a federal facility in California.
Since his conviction, Sam Bankman-Fried has remained in the public eye through various statements. He’s indicated he might ask Donald Trump for a pardon and has also accused the Justice Department, under the Biden administration, of pressuring people who testified against him during the trial.
However, Trump has stated he won’t pardon Sam Bankman-Fried. This means appealing the conviction is now SBF’s main hope. The case will now move into a less public stage as it goes through the appeals process.
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2026-04-23 09:36