- The ex-CEO of FTX planned to build a defense strategy around this
- Allegedly Bankman-Fried didn’t realize he was breaking the law;
- And he relied entirely on the agency lawyers’ advice
The lawyers of Sam Bankman-Fried made another attempt last week to drop some of the charges against their client. The defense filed a motion to transfer the documents of the Fenwick & West agency. The ex-CEO of FTX claims he was guided by the firm’s recommendations, and therefore had no idea he was breaking the law.
Friday, June 23, District Judge Lewis Kaplan denied the request, Bloomberg reports, citing his sources. He called it an attempt by the defense to “fish in troubled waters.”
The judge also rejected the defense’s request to call representatives of the agency as witnesses in the process.. Allegedly neither the organization nor its individual employees are part of the process.</nbsp;
Remember, in May of this year, Sam Bankman-Fried testified at the trial that he relied on Fenwick & West’s advice.. And this relates to the issues that later formed the basis of the indictment against him.
In particular, it concerns the use of the Signal messaging app. In February, he almost went back to prison for attempting to circumvent house arrest, including through this messenger.
SBF lawyers insisted that Fenwick & West records be disclosed in order to remove some of the liability from the defendant. They have not yet commented on the judge’s decision.
Reminder, the Justice Department has agreed to remove several items from the indictment against SBF. This decision was made after the ex-CEO of FTX was allowed to conduct proceedings on the matter. And U.S. authorities decided not to wait for the process to be completed.