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The judge presiding over the criminal trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, former FTX CEO, has expressed frustration with the repetition from the defendant’s lawyers.
Bankman-Fried is facing charges of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering.
He could be sentenced to up to 110 years in prison. (Trending: Famous Actor Attacks Trump Supporters)
Sam Bankman Fried swapped out his luxury car in the Bahamas for a “Corolla” and told his ex girlfriend that his hair was “very important” to FTX.
Turns out he was obsessed with creating an image that he didn’t care what others thought of him. pic.twitter.com/LZGesR4VVG
— Coffeezilla (@coffeebreak_YT) October 11, 2023
Judge Lewis Kaplan said, “I just want to express my growing concern about the extent of the entirely unnecessary repetition, and I’ve given you a lot of latitude.”
“You’re wearing out the welcome on the repetition,” Kaplan told Bankman-Fried’s lawyer.
The judge’s admonitions against the defense may not bode well for Bankman-Fried.
Paul Tuchmann, a former federal prosecutor, said, “When the jurors see the judge interrupting one of the lawyers and saying, ‘that’s an improper question, or we’ve covered this already, you’re wasting our time,’ that creates a very big problem for the defendant. The judge is a figure of immense authority for them.”
Coming soon — RUIN: Money, Ego and Deception at FTX.
A feature documentary about Sam Bankman-Fried and the stunning collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange. Watch on Oct. 25 at 6pm ET on Bloomberg Television and 8pm ET on Bloomberg Originals https://t.co/QoYTlIy6W8 pic.twitter.com/P6BZuA9L3e
— Bloomberg Crypto (@crypto) October 14, 2023
“Don’t do that again, Mr. Everdell,” the judge responded.
The judge has upheld objections from the prosecution and warned the defense about the way they phrase their questions. (Trending: Disturbing Flag Found Near Massacre in Israel)
The judge also revoked Bankman-Fried’s bail due to potential witness tampering.
“He has already — without violating any other bail condition save that he not commit another crime — gone up to the line over and over again,” Kaplan argued when explaining his decision to revoke Bankman-Fried’s bail.
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