SBF Fails Bid for Temporary Release as Trial Looms

• SBF’s motion for a temporary release has been denied.
• The judge labeled SBF’s difficulties as “of his own making.”
• The disgraced FTX founder continues to await trial while in detention.

Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) will continue to cool his heels at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) after a U.S. federal judge denied his motion for a temporary release.

In a letter dated September 8, SBF’s legal team wrote to Judge Lewis Kaplan and requested a temporary release, stating that their client was denied “access to an internet-enabled laptop,” preventing him from preparing adequate defense ahead of the looming October 3 trial.  

Facing Difficulties “Of His Own Making”

On September 12, Judge Kaplan ruled that any difficulties SBF claimed to be facing while reviewing prosecutors’ evidence from prison were “of his own making.”

The judge noted that SBF was represented by a team of “extremely able retained lawyers,” affirming that the premise of his position that he was personally entitled to review and consider every piece of discovery in the case was incorrect.

“Defendant’s team of lawyers is able to provide the defendant with any materials that he would like to review on hard drives at the MDC. There has been no suggestion that counsel is incapable of running any searches across the Relativity or AWS databases that defendant may desire and then providing him with the results,” the judge wrote.

Bankman-Fried's "repeated" request to be released from MDC-Brooklyn have this afternoon been denied by Judge Kaplan – without prejudice to yet another application if more persuasive and factually grounded… The case grinds toward trial, we'll be covering it… https://t.co/uUXBcLMej9 pic.twitter.com/ee2FgOc0wO

— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) September 12, 2023

Notably, the judge was concerned that SBF’s legal team cited time pressure as a hindrance to trial preparation. Yet, the court had offered to consider any request for a substantial adjournment.

The Legal Battle Ahead

The future of SBF in the courtroom is likely filled with uncertainty, given that he is facing 12 criminal counts spread over two separate cases.

The weight of these charges shows that the disgraced CEO remains in detention despite making two consecutive pleas for a temporary release. The September 8 letter was a follow-up to a similar request made on September 5, as stated by the legal team.

Read why the DOJ dismissed SBF’s fraud allegation defense:
DOJ Dismisses SBF’s Fraud Allegation Defense as Irrelevant

Find out more about SBF’s not-guilty plea:
Sam Bankman-Fried Pleads Not Guilty to Seven Charges