SBF Bail Reversal Possible, Judge Hints
Following SBF’s contact with current and former FTX personnel, the suggestion arose during discussions about the need for additional bail conditions.
Several missteps have occurred since Sam Bankman-Fried was allowed to stay at his parent’s house until his trial in October.
SBF’s online activities have left a lasting impression on the court, including a lengthy rant on Substack expressing his thoughts on FTX’s failure and an attempt to get in touch with the failed exchange’s current CEO and former workers to “help straighten things out.”
Possible Reason for Witness Tampering
In a hearing on February 16th, Judge Lewis Kaplan stated that there is probable cause to believe that SBF committed a federal felony while on bail, namely witness tampering, or attempted witness tampering.
As a result, prosecutors asked Judge Kaplan to severely limit Bankman-access Fried’s to computers and other devices, claiming he had discovered loopholes such as VPNs that allowed him to circumvent his bail conditions.
“The Court now has a record of a defendant who appears motivated to avoid monitoring and find loopholes in existing bail conditions.”
The defense requests leniency and the judge suggests that bail be reduced
According to CNN, SBF’s attorney, Mark Cohen, acknowledged the need for increased oversight but requested leniency nonetheless. He claimed that SBF’s input is required to build his defense case. According to Cohen, internet access would be required to review FTX’s financial records.
The prosecutor admitted that there was no ideal solution. However, the judge stated that there is a solution, albeit one that has not yet been proposed, implying that SBF’s bail should be revoked due to a violation of the former mogul’s bail conditions. Nonetheless, because it was not a full proposal to the court, the judge’s poorly concealed suggestion has no legal weight as of yet.
Judge Kaplan, however, suggested that a security specialist work for the judge and be compensated by the defense. The security expert would provide the judge with technical guidance so they might come up with a fresh approach to SBF’s electronic device-related bail terms.
Currently, the prosecution has proposed new conditions that would allow SBF to use only his Gmail account and Zoom to communicate with lawyers. If this proposal is approved, voice calls and text messaging will be available.
Visit Bitdenex Exchange to Buy and Sell crypto in minutes with low trading fees.