DOJ Files Motion To Stop Sam Bankman-Fried’s Witnesses From Testifying

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The US Division of Justice (DOJ) has requested for all professional witnesses of Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the previous CEO and co-founder of the now-defunct FTX trade, to be prevented from testifying in his upcoming trial, which is ready to start on the third of October, 2023.

DOJ Seeks To Bar Seven Professional Witnesses From Trial

Within the newest movement filed on Monday, August 28, the US Division of Justice has known as for precluding all seven of Sam Bankman-Fried’s professional witnesses from testifying in court docket. These proposed witnesses embody Lawrence Akka, Thomas Bishop, Brian Kim, Joseph Pimbley, Bradley Smith, Peter Vinella, and Andrew Di Wu.

Primarily based on court docket paperwork, the DOJ has recognized flaws in SBF’s professional witnesses and their disclosures. Particularly, a few of the disclosed info doesn’t adequately clarify the professional’s opinion and reasoning, as mandated by Federal Rule of Prison Process 16.

The DOJ argued within the movement:

The place the defendant does disclose the professional’s opinions, the opinions are inappropriate topics for professional testimony, lack a dependable methodology or foundation in info and knowledge, or are irrelevant, unfairly prejudicial, and complicated to the jury.

Notably, the Division of Justice moved towards the testimony of Peter Vinella – a managing director at an professional companies and consulting agency, citing numerous causes for the decision.

One of many said grounds is that whereas Mr. Vinella is offered as an skilled determine within the monetary companies business, he lacks enough experience in cryptocurrency, cryptocurrency markets, or crypto firms to opine as an professional.

The Division of Justice urged the US District Courtroom for the Southern District of New York to “train its safekeeping authority and preclude” the “professional” testimonies of SBF’s proposed witnesses.

A Change Of Strategy From Sam Bankman-Fried?

Sam Bankman-Fried is charged with seven fraud-related offenses and is in jail after his bail was revoked. Following the rejection of their request for his or her consumer’s launch on weekdays, SBF’s protection counsel appears to be taking a distinct strategy to realize some from the court docket.

On Monday, August 28, Bitcoinist reported that Bankman-Fried’s attorneys wrote to Decide Lewis Kaplan – the presiding decide in SBF’s case, revealing that the DOJ had despatched an “extra 4 million pages of discovery.”

The attorneys declare that Bankman-Fried can not end reviewing the paperwork earlier than the trial commences – lower than six weeks from now. For that reason, they requested the court docket to preclude the prosecutors from utilizing particular proof when the trial begins.

Moreover, SBF’s attorneys requested for the short-term launch of their consumer to arrange for his trial, arguing that the preliminary “two-times per week” allowance lately permitted by the court docket will probably be inadequate for him to evaluate the “voluminous discovery.”