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Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has firmly rejected allegations of witness tampering after sharing extracts from his ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison’s personal diary with a reporter from the New York Occasions.
This denial comes as federal prosecutors search to revoke his bail, claiming the diary leak and different communications point out SBF has improperly tried to affect Ellison, a key witness within the high-profile FTX fraud case.
In a strongly-worded letter to Choose Lewis Kaplan filed on Aug. 1, attorneys for SBF contend he was performing inside his Constitutional rights by providing commentary to the press. They assert his intention in contacting the reporter was to reply to an present story already in progress and shield his status moderately than improperly sway the trial.
The protection workforce argues that the prosecution has taken varied details out of context, like SBF’s use of encrypted messaging purposes, to painting his actions unfairly negatively. The protection claims a disputed communication with a former FTX lawyer was genuinely about aiding with chapter proceedings, not stealth witness tampering as alleged.
SBF’s counsel additionally rejects the prosecution’s rationale for detaining their consumer as extraordinarily flimsy, reliant on assumptions, innuendo, and inadequate proof. The letter states,
“The Authorities’s proffered factual foundation to revoke Mr. Bankman-Fried’s bail is extraordinarily skinny and depends closely on assumptions, unsupported inferences, and innuendo.”
SBF’s authorized workforce posits the controversial NY Occasions article containing extracts from Ellison’s diary in the end portrayed her sympathetically whereas being unfavorable to SBF – the alternative of the prosecution’s assertion he was looking for to intimidate her.
The protection factors out that revoking bail would make getting ready for the immensely advanced FTX fraud trial virtually unimaginable for SBF, given the lack of laptop and web entry wanted to assessment many hundreds of thousands of paperwork concerned within the case. As a substitute, they suggest the least restrictive possibility is for the decide to impose a gag order limiting extrajudicial statements.
This newest back-and-forth over witness contact and press commentary comes amid intense public scrutiny because the high-stakes FTX case progresses. Together with his trial quick approaching, debates across the extent of SBF’s allowable actions whereas on bail appear set to persist.
For now, SBF stays on bail below strict situations. Nonetheless, the extreme nature of the felony prices he faces seems to be spurring prosecutors to advocate for his detention earlier than the trial commences. As each side vigorously defend their stance to the decide, the letter highlights how contentious the fraud proceedings might turn out to be.
The put up Sam Bankman-Fried denies witness tampering allegations in letter to evaluate appeared first on CryptoSlate.
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