With two weeks to go until the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and former CEO of the FTX crypto exchange, the United States Department of Justice has made a request of the judge handling the case. This time around, the DOJ has asked for an additional day to be added to the trial dates.
DOJ Wants Extra Day In Sam Bankman-Fried Trial
In a letter that was addressed to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, the judge in charge of the Sam Bankman-Fried trial, the US DOJ is requesting that a new date be added. The September 19 letter wants Judge Kaplan to approve an addition of Friday, October 6, to the trial dates already scheduled to begin on October 3.
The reason for this request is to provide the Government ample time for witnesses to be transported to and made available in New York where the trial is taking place. Additionally, it would also provide more time for trial proceedings, making sure that witnesses do not have to stay in New York for longer than necessary given the long weekend coming up as a result of the Columbus Day holiday on October 9.
“The Government therefore proposes sitting for an additional day on October 6, 2023, in order to make efficient use of the jury’s time, accommodate witness travel schedules, and to keep the Government on pace with its estimate of the trial’s duration,” the letter reads.
Interestingly, Sam Bankman-Fried and his defense team are not in favor of the court granting this request from the DOJ. “The defense opposes this request,” the letter explains. This is not out of the ordinary because the court had previously provided the defense an opportunity to request for a postponement of the trial date which the defense did not take.
FTX Legal Issues Heat Up Ahead Of Trial
As Sam Bankman-Fried prepares to fact the Government in the next few weeks, his defunct crypto exchange FTX has gone after his parents. In the that was dated September 18, FTX accused both Allan Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried of using their influence in the company to financially enrich themselves.
This lawsuit follows prosecutors calling out Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyers for being “unnecessarily intrusive” with their prepared questions for jury selection. According to the DOJ, the defense was trying to enact sympathy for their client in order to strengthen their defense.
SBF was also denied release leading up to the trial as the court believes the former FTX CEO had received enough time to go through discovery presented by prosecutors.