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Sam Bankman-Fried’s protection staff is urging the overseeing decide to look at potential jurors on their prior encounters with the embattled FTX founder, and his now-defunct crypto empire. With simply three weeks to go earlier than Bankman-Fried faces trial for seven legal counts, each the protection and the Division of Justice (DOJ) laid out their proposed questions for jury choice late Monday.
The proposed questions goal to unearth juror views on a variety of subjects from cryptocurrency and, additionally extending to areas like political donations, lobbying, and the very ethos of “efficient altruism” that led the entrepreneur to amass a fortune so he may give it away.
Obstruction or Proper to Protection?
Bankman-Fried’s legal professionals have been lobbying arduous to safe his momentary launch from jail to mount a strong protection. They contest the prosecution’s sunny narrative that their consumer enjoys sufficient laptop computer entry behind bars. His bail was revoked final month after allegations of witness tampering surfaced, making his present circumstances significantly onerous.
DOJ Accused of Overreach
The DOJ has sought to disqualify all seven of Bankman-Fried’s proposed third-party knowledgeable witnesses, questioning their relevancy and undermining their proposed testimonies. Protection attorneys additionally slammed the DOJ for trying to curtail their consumer’s constitutional proper to current a protection.
Decide Lewis Kaplan revoked Bankman-Fried’s bail final month, alleging witness tampering. And though an appeals courtroom continues to be to weigh in, the protection’s bid for extra lenient jail situations hangs in limbo.
Veteran white-collar litigators counsel that the jury choice, ordinarily a few-hour affair, may span days given the intricacies of this case. Potential jurors with obtrusive biases might be dismissed, as each events have a restricted variety of strikes.
Salame’s Responsible Plea provides Up Strain
Former FTX government Ryan Salame not too long ago pleaded responsible to fees, leaving Bankman-Fried as the only defiant determine on this authorized saga. The plea didn’t embody a dedication to testify towards Bankman-Fried, however the conviction that provides up the strain on the FTX founder.
Cryptomarket on Tenterhooks Over $3.4 Billion Liquidation
In the meantime, the crypto trade is on edge over rumors that FTX may safe courtroom authorization to liquidate roughly $3.4 billion in cryptocurrencies. If given the inexperienced gentle, such a colossal liquidation occasion may ship shockwaves via the Ethereum and Solana ecosystems.
The drama surrounding Bankman-Fried extends far past the courtroom. His authorized staff cited quite a few situations the place the constraints on his web entry had crippled their capacity to arrange an efficient protection, calling into query the equity of the upcoming trial.
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