A federal judge has dismissed Sam Bankman-Fried’s request for a new trial, describing the motion as an attempt to salvage his reputation following his conviction. Judge Lewis Kaplan, who previously sentenced the former FTX CEO to 25 years in prison, issued his ruling on Tuesday.
Bankman-Fried had claimed that new evidence and witnesses could help his case, specifically citing three former FTX executives. However, Judge Kaplan found these claims to lack merit, stating that the witnesses were not newly discovered and that Bankman-Fried was aware of them prior to his trial.
In a notable turn, Bankman-Fried sought to withdraw his request, expressing doubts about receiving a fair hearing from Judge Kaplan. This follows his earlier motion, which he filed without consulting his legal team, while an appeals court was reviewing his conviction.
Among the executives mentioned, Ryan Salame has already pleaded guilty to charges related to campaign finance violations, receiving a sentence of seven and a half years in May 2024. The judge’s ruling reaffirms the integrity of the original trial and its findings regarding FTX's financial state.