Circuit

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<ul class="wp-block-list">
 <li>Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is seeking a new trial, arguing that his previous trial was unfair.</li>
 <li>Bankman-Fried’s legal team accuses Judge Lewis Kaplan of showing bias during the trial.</li>
</ul>
Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of FTX, has officially appealed his fraud conviction, seeking a new trial and alleging that the judge who oversaw his case was biased against him. In a detailed 102-page document submitted to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on September 13, Bankman-Fried’s legal team argues that Judge Lewis Kaplan was “unlawful” throughout the trial, making critical remarks that they claim to support the defense’s case.
Alexandra Shapiro, <a href="https://thenewscrypto.com/judge-denies-sam-bankman-fried-10m-insurance-policy-for-legal-fees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bankman-Fried’s</a> new attorney who replaced the previous legal team, highlighted in the appeal that her client never received the benefit of the presumption of innocence. She argues that Bankman-Fried faced bias from multiple sources—the media and the judicial system—even before formal charges filed against him. 
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 <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="778" height="348" src="https://thenewscrypto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image-42.png" alt="" class="wp-image-108048" srcset="https://thenewscrypto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image-42.png 778w, https://thenewscrypto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image-42-300x134.png 300w, https://thenewscrypto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image-42-768x344.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 778px) 100vw, 778px">
 <figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sam Bankman-Fried Appeal Request (Source: <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca2.9d455c17-4ee8-40a0-bafd-1eeeb19acafb/gov.uscourts.ca2.9d455c17-4ee8-40a0-bafd-1eeeb19acafb.28.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Courtlistner</a>)
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The appeal highlights several issues, including claims that the judge blocked critical defense arguments and improperly restricted evidence that could have benefited Bankman-Fried’s case. The filing also raises concerns about procedural errors, such as an “unlawful” forfeiture order and the alleged withholding of crucial evidence that might have supported the defense.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bankman-fried-s-conviction-and-appeal-process">Bankman-Fried’s Conviction and Appeal Process</h3>
Bankman-Fried faced conviction in November 2023 on multiple charges related to the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange, FTX. He received a 25-year prison <a href="https://thenewscrypto.com/u-s-senators-demand-communication-logs-between-cftc-chair-and-ex-ftx-ceo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">sentence</a> in March. His initial legal team recommended a lighter sentence of 6.5 years. Meanwhile, the prosecution sought a term of 40–50 years.
However, the appeal comes as Bankman-Fried’s former associate, Caroline Ellison, prepares for her sentencing later this month. <path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M11 4.9099C11 4.47485 10.4828 4.24734 10.1621 4.54132L6.67572 7.7372C6.49129 7.90626 6.25019 8.00005 6 8.00005H4C3.44772 8.00005 3 8.44776 3 9.00005V15C3 15.5523 3.44772 16 4 16H6C6.25019 16 6.49129 16.0938 6.67572 16.2629L10.1621 19.4588C10.4828 19.7527 11 19.5252 11 19.0902V4.9099ZM8.81069 3.06701C10.4142 1.59714 13 2.73463 13 4.9099V19.0902C13 21.2655 10.4142 22.403 8.81069 20.9331L5.61102 18H4C2.34315 18 1 16.6569 1 15V9.00005C1 7.34319 2.34315 6.00005 4 6.00005H5.61102L8.81069 3.06701ZM20.3166 6.35665C20.8019 6.09313 21.409 6.27296 21.6725 6.75833C22.5191 8.3176 22.9996 10.1042 22.9996 12.0001C22.9996 13.8507 22.5418 15.5974 21.7323 17.1302C21.4744 17.6185 20.8695 17.8054 20.3811 17.5475C19.8927 17.2896 19.7059 16.6846 19.9638 16.1962C20.6249 14.9444 20.9996 13.5175 20.9996 12.0001C20.9996 10.4458 20.6064 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fill="currentColor"></path><path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M12.1318 2.50389C12.3321 2.15338 12.7235 1.95768 13.124 2.00775L13.5778 2.06447C16.0449 2.37286 17.636 4.83353 16.9048 7.20993L16.354 8.99999H17.0722C19.7097 8.99999 21.6253 11.5079 20.9313 14.0525L19.5677 19.0525C19.0931 20.7927 17.5124 22 15.7086 22H6C4.34315 22 3 20.6568 3 19V12C3 10.3431 4.34315 8.99999 6 8.99999H8C8.25952 8.99999 8.49914 8.86094 8.6279 8.63561L12.1318 2.50389ZM10 20H15.7086C16.6105 20 17.4008 19.3964 17.6381 18.5262L19.0018 13.5262C19.3488 12.2539 18.391 11 17.0722 11H15C14.6827 11 14.3841 10.8494 14.1956 10.5941C14.0071 10.3388 13.9509 10.0092 14.0442 9.70591L14.9932 6.62175C15.3384 5.49984 14.6484 4.34036 13.5319 4.08468L10.3644 9.62789C10.0522 10.1742 9.56691 10.5859 9 10.8098V19C9 19.5523 9.44772 20 10 20ZM7 11V19C7 19.3506 7.06015 19.6872 7.17071 20H6C5.44772 20 5 19.5523 5 19V12C5 11.4477 5.44772 11 6 11H7Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M11.8727 21.4961C11.6725 21.8466 11.2811 22.0423 10.8805 21.9922L10.4267 21.9355C7.95958 21.6271 6.36855 19.1665 7.09975 16.7901L7.65054 15H6.93226C4.29476 15 2.37923 12.4921 3.0732 9.94753L4.43684 4.94753C4.91145 3.20728 6.49209 2 8.29589 2H18.0045C19.6614 2 21.0045 3.34315 21.0045 5V12C21.0045 13.6569 19.6614 15 18.0045 15H16.0045C15.745 15 15.5054 15.1391 15.3766 15.3644L11.8727 21.4961ZM14.0045 4H8.29589C7.39399 4 6.60367 4.60364 6.36637 5.47376L5.00273 10.4738C4.65574 11.746 5.61351 13 6.93226 13H9.00451C9.32185 13 9.62036 13.1506 9.8089 13.4059C9.99743 13.6612 10.0536 13.9908 9.96028 14.2941L9.01131 17.3782C8.6661 18.5002 9.35608 19.6596 10.4726 19.9153L13.6401 14.3721C13.9523 13.8258 14.4376 13.4141 15.0045 13.1902V5C15.0045 4.44772 14.5568 4 14.0045 4ZM17.0045 13V5C17.0045 4.64937 16.9444 4.31278 16.8338 4H18.0045C18.5568 4 19.0045 4.44772 19.0045 5V12C19.0045 12.5523 18.5568 13 18.0045 13H17.0045Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M3.06957 10.8763C3.62331 6.43564 7.40967 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href="https://thenewscrypto.com/caroline-ellison-to-testify-against-sbf-in-fraud-trial-this-week/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pleaded guilty</a> to fraud charges and testified against Bankman-Fried, has requested no jail time.
Bankman-Fried’s legal team has now taken their arguments to the appeals court. They seek to overturn his conviction and secure a fresh trial.
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Sam Bankman-Fried Seeks New Trial Accusing Judge of Unfair Treatment

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