Sam Bankman-Fried sought a new trial over his FTX fraud conviction in a February court filing. His mother submitted the request, claiming new evidence justified another trial.
The former crypto exchange CEO was representing himself in the 35-page filing, CoinDesk reported on February 10. Bankman-Fried was serving a 25-year prison sentence following his conviction.
Mother Filed Request Citing New Evidence
Barbara Fried filed the motion in a New York federal court. Inner City Press first reported the request on Tuesday, according to CoinDesk.
The document arrived as a pro se request, meaning Bankman-Fried was acting as his own representative. His latest effort followed continuing court challenges since his conviction and imprisonment.
The motion cited the absence of testimony from figures including former FTX executive Ryan Salame. Salame had fought a separate legal battle and was also convicted on federal charges.
Salame claimed an arrangement to cooperate with prosecutors should have protected his wife, Michelle Bond, from legal pursuit. Bond was later charged with allegedly accepting illegal campaign contributions during her congressional bid.
Those developments formed part of Bankman-Fried’s request for another trial. CoinDesk said he would need compelling new evidence to warrant that outcome.
Judges Questioned Earlier Solvency Argument
Earlier appeals focused on Bankman-Fried’s claim that his initial trial was unfair. Those arguments met skepticism from appellate judges in November, the report said.
His defense had drawn attention to FTX’s later solvency while seeking a retrial through appeal. His account on X continued arguing that the company was not bankrupt when it collapsed.
The judges said solvency did not appear to be the primary issue. Circuit Judge Maria Araújo Kahn pointed instead to representations about investor money.
“Part of the government’s theory of the case is that the defendant misrepresented to investors that their money was safe, was not being used in the way that it was the government claims and the jury convicted it was, in fact, used,” Kahn said.
The judge was referring to the misappropriation of customer money at the heart of Bankman-Fried’s conviction. Her comments addressed the arguments presented during the earlier appeal effort.
Trump Said He Would Not Consider Clemency
President Donald Trump had said he would not consider clemency for Bankman-Fried, according to the February report. That closed another potential route to freedom described by CoinDesk.
Bankman-Fried continued campaigning through his X account. He argued that he was a victim of former President Joe Biden’s “lawfare machine.”
Related coverage examines another federal fraud case, crypto-related stock markets and crypto exchange security. The February filing rested on his claim that new evidence warranted another trial.
