FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Requests Permission to Collaborate with Legal Team Outside of Jail

Reviewing Extensive Case Documents Proves Difficult in Confinement

Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who had his bail revoked by the Department of Justice, is seeking permission to spend five weekdays outside of jail in order to collaborate with his legal team on his defense case. Bankman-Fried's lawyers have stated that their client has been facing difficulties in thoroughly reviewing the extensive document accumulation related to the case while confined to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Request for Internet-Enabled Laptop to Accelerate Proceedings

Bankman-Fried's attorney, Christian Everdell, has sent a letter to US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, emphasizing the need for Bankman-Fried to have access to his legal team and use an internet-enabled laptop within the courthouse premises. Everdell argues that this arrangement would accelerate the proceedings, especially considering that Bankman-Fried's fraud trial is scheduled to start in October.

Facing Allegations of Elaborate Fraud Scheme

Maintaining his innocence, Bankman-Fried is confronted with allegations of masterminding an elaborate fraud scheme involving unauthorized access to billions of dollars from FTX customer funds for personal use. Prosecutors have contended that Bankman-Fried should be precluded from introducing a defense during the trial unless he promptly provides information about the advice he received and its origin.

Prosecutors' Offer of Information on Hard Drives for Review

Prosecutors have reportedly offered to provide Bankman-Fried with information on hard drives that could be used on computers at the Metropolitan Detention Center. However, due to limitations, not all the information can be stored on a laptop. A plan to move Bankman-Fried for laptop access was denied by prison authorities. The decision on Bankman-Fried's requests is now in the hands of Judge Kaplan.