Sam Bankman-Fried appeals fraud and conspiracy convictions

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried on Friday filed an appeal of his multiple fraud and conspiracy convictions, nearly a year after he was found guilty of the federal crimes.

The former CEO, who was convicted by a jury in November, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in March. Prosecutors claimed Bankman-Fried siphoned billions of dollars from his clients on the crypto-exchange service without their knowledge, and then lied about his finances to investors in order to fund a lavish lifestyle.

The appeal is the second time Bankman-Fried has tried to overturn the ruling.

Bankman-Fried now claims that he was not given a fair trial by the judge, and is seeking a new one because he was allegedly presumed guilty before the case even started. The former CEO's legal team also claimed the judge, Lewis Kaplan, did not allow evidence of solvency to be introduced in the trial, but did allow evidence of losses from the company.

“Throughout the proceedings the district court made little pretense of objectivity or even-handedness … The judgment should be reversed, and the case remanded for a new trial before a different judge,” Bankman-Fried’s attorneys said, per CNN. “He was presumed guilty — before he was even charged."

The lawyers also claimed new evidence is emerging that proves the company was never "insolvent" and had billions in assets that could be returned to its customers. 

Bankman-Fried's ex-girlfriend, who testified against him in court last year, is expected to be sentenced for her role in the scheme next month. She has pleaded guilty to her charges, but her lawyers are asking the court to spare her from serving in prison since she testified.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.