Rule

Wednesday

motion

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, serving a 25-year sentence for his role in misusing user funds at the crypto exchange, has dropped a motion in federal court requesting a new trial for his criminal case, but still has a pending appeal of his conviction and sentence.
In a Wednesday filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Bankman-Fried <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.590940/gov.uscourts.nysd.590940.594.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">responded</a> to a March 23 letter from Judge Lewis Kaplan ordering the former FTX CEO to answer whether he received any assistance from lawyers for a pro se motion — a filing on his own behalf without an attorney. Kaplan’s order followed US prosecutors raising doubts whether the convicted company founder <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.590940/gov.uscourts.nysd.590940.590.0_1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">filed</a> for an extension of his <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/sam-bankman-fried-trial-court-government-response" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">request for a new trial</a> by himself in March, just a few days after his mother, Barbara Fried, though lacking standing, sent a letter to the court on her son’s behalf.
“I am the author of this letter, but did consult with my parents about it, since it concerns both of them,” said Bankman-Fried, referring to an extension to file for a Rule 33 motion for a new trial, adding:
<blockquote>
 “As I have had to focus on responding to these questions rather than drafting a response to the prosecution's opposition, and because I do not believe I will get a fair hearing on this topic in front of you, I am now requesting to withdraw the Rule 33 motion, without prejudice to renewing it after my direct appeal and the related request for reassignment have been ruled upon.”
</blockquote>
<figure><img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2026-04/019db6f7-6648-736d-afe9-29facc555ccd.png" alt="Sam Bankman-Fried pulls motion for a new trial, still asks for new judge">
 <figcaption>Letter from Sam Bankman-Fried, made public on Wednesday. Source: <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.590940/gov.uscourts.nysd.590940.594.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Courtlistener</a>
 </figcaption>
</figure>
Bankman-Fried <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.590940/gov.uscourts.nysd.590940.584.0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">requested</a> in February that a different judge rule on his motion for a new trial, claiming that Kaplan showed “extreme prejudice.” He also awaits a decision on his appeal of his conviction and sentence in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Neither filing was apparently affected by Bankman-Fried’s letter, posted to the public docket on Wednesday.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/features/sbf-parents-interview-pardon-chances-drop-betting-markets" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Interview with SBF’s parents drops chance of pardon on betting markets</a>
Bankman-Fried, known as SBF, was once the CEO of one of the largest crypto exchanges globally before he was convicted of fraud and charges related to his misuse of customer funds in 2023 and later sentenced to 25 years in prison. As of Wednesday, he was housed at the Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc I, in California.
<h2 id="is-sbf-still-seeking-trump-pardon">Is SBF still seeking Trump pardon?</h2>
Following his incarceration, the former FTX CEO has made several public statements through interviews and his social media accounts signaling plans to apply for a presidential pardon from Donald Trump.
His <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/sam-bankman-fried-rule-33-new-trial-doj" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">request for a new trial</a> included claims that former US President Joe Biden's Justice Department “threatened multiple witnesses into silence or into changing their testimony“ at his criminal trial. He has also posted to X <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/ftx-sam-bankman-fried-caroline-ellison-donald-trump" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">praising Trump's crypto policies</a> and the president's military actions in Iran.
In a January New York Times interview, Trump <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/donald-trump-no-pardon-sam-bankman-fried" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">said that he had no intention</a> of pardoning the convicted former FTX CEO.
Magazine: <a href="https://cointelegraph-magazine.com/newbies-guide-surviving-crypto-winter/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Your guide to surviving this mini-crypto winter</a>

Sam Bankman-Fried pulls motion for a new trial, still asks for new judge

Table of Contents

Cointelegraph

Other articles published on Apr 22, 2026

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!