FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Appeals Fraud Convictions, Citing Judge Bias

According to the New York Times, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has formally appealed his fraud convictions, seeking a new trial and alleging that the judge presiding over his case exhibited unfair prejudice against him.

Last November, a New York jury found Bankman-Fried guilty on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy related to the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange in November 2022. In March, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York (SDNY) sentenced Bankman-Fried to 25 years in prison.

In a 102-page appeal filed Friday afternoon, Bankman-Fried's lawyers argue that Judge Kaplan was unfair to the FTX founder throughout the trial, making "disparaging remarks that undermined the defense" and "scoffing" at his testimony in front of the jury. Bankman-Fried's lawyers recommended a lighter sentence of 6.5 years. The government had sought a harsher sentence of 40-50 years.