Judge Denies Sam Bankman-Fried Request for a Longer Sentencing Process

A
federal
judge
denied
onetime
FTX
CEO
Sam
Bankman-Fried’s
request
to
extend
his
sentencing
process
and
delay
a
presentencing
interview
with
the
U.S.
Probation
and
Pretrial
Services
System,
which
will
recommend
a
sentence.

Attorneys
for
Bankman-Fried

filed
a
letter
Wednesday
requesting
the
extension,
saying
he
faces
a
possible
second
trial
on
additional
charges
set
for
March
11.
The
sentencing
hearing
is
scheduled
for
March
28.
They
also
asked
that
a
presentence
interview
scheduled
for
Thursday
be
delayed,
alongside
other
deadlines.

“We
submit
that
Mr.
Bankman-Fried
should
not
begin
the
sentencing
process
on
the
counts
of
conviction,
including
the
presentence
interview,
until
the
severed
counts
are
resolved,”
the
letter
said.
“Doing
so
could
potentially
result
in
a
separate
PSR
and
a
separate
sentencing
hearing
on
conduct
that
was
already
part
of
the
Government’s
proof
at
trial.”

Bankman-Fried
was

convicted
on
seven
charges
of
fraud
and
conspiracy
last
month,
after
prosecutors
alleged
he
misappropriated
FTX
customer
and
investor
funds,
as
well
as
Alameda
Research’s
lenders’
funds.

District
Judge
Lewis
Kaplan,
the
Southern
District
of
New
York
judge
overseeing
the
case,

denied
the
motion,
saying
that
the
defense
did
not
object
when
the
March
28
date
was
originally
set.

If
the
Department
of
Justice
does
choose
to
proceed
to

a
second
trial
on
bank
fraud
and
Foreign
Corrupt
Practices
Act
conspiracy
charges,
sentencing
could
be
delayed,
the
judge
said.

“The
defendant
already
has
had
over
six
weeks
in
which
to
prepare
for
the
presentence
interview,
which
shall
take
place
tomorrow
as
scheduled,”
he
wrote.