SBF's lawyer, Mark Cohen, has questioned the validity of the five new charges that have been added since he was flown from The Bahamas to the U.S.
Sam Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to five fresh criminal charges — including allegations that he paid a $40 million bribe to Chinese government officials.
The new charges are in addition to the eight counts that were initially against him, meaning the fallen FTX founder is now facing a 13-count indictment.
SBF's lawyer, Mark Cohen, has questioned the validity of the five new charges that have been added since he was flown from The Bahamas to the U.S. He told the judge:
"We wish to note by pleading not guilty, our client is not acknowledging that he can be tried on the new counts that were brought after his extradition. That will be the subject of one of our motions to your honor."
Bankman-Fried's legal team have previously suggested that they may request October's trial to be pushed back.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have revealed that the government has turned over six million pages of discovery.
Several members of SBF's inner circle — including former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison — have entered into plea deals and are cooperating with the prosecution.
FTX Pushes Back
In other developments, FTX's new management has pushed back at SBF's request for access to directors and officers liability policies worth $10 million.
The 31-year-old has argued that these funds are needed so he can mount an "effective defense" in the 16 cases he currently faces.
SBF has previously warned he "would suffer substantial and potentially irreparable harm" if he was denied access to the funds. But a committee representing creditors said:
"Directors and officers insurance policies exist to protect the company and its directors and officers in situations where they make honest decisions in the ordinary course of the business. This is not that case."
They went on to argue that SBF is "the alleged perpetrator of one of the largest criminal frauds in the last decade" — and is unlikely to win the cases because three other FTX executives have already pleaded guilty.
