Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has formally appealed his conviction on fraud charges. His defense team is arguing for a retrial, asserting that the original trial was marred by judicial bias and misconduct, which they claim prejudiced the jury against him.
Defense Arguments for Retrial
The appeal documents outline several key points of contention raised by Bankman-Fried's legal representatives. Central to their argument is the assertion that the presiding judge demonstrated bias throughout the proceedings. This alleged bias, according to the defense, created an unfair environment that prevented a truly impartial assessment of the evidence presented.
Furthermore, the defense claims that specific instances of trial misconduct occurred, which they believe compromised the integrity of the verdict. These claims are expected to be detailed further in subsequent legal filings and arguments.
The ultimate goal of the appeal is to secure a retrial, preferably with a different judge who can preside over the case without the alleged biases that the defense team believes were present in the initial trial.