By Michael Scott
Despite the judge allegedly claiming he would not certainly approve a postponement, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys have been stressing for the ex-FTX chief executive officer to get an additional team to prepare his defense.
Attorneys representing SBF, ex-FTX CEO, have allegedly yet to request another trial date to prepare. Instead, a federal judge has provided a restricted period to do so. Inner City Press’s August 30 trend on X (previously Twitter) shows that Judge Lewis Kaplan claimed the deadline for seeking a jury linked to SBF’s trial start date was September 7.
Bankman’s Attorneys Decry Aggressive Schedule
The accused’s attorneys allegedly claimed they picked an ‘aggressive date’ in which their client would get the chance to clear his name. However, they only partially excluded seeking additional time to prepare due to supposed problems concerning access to discovery materials.
Kaplan stated that if the defendant believes a postponement is necessary, they can request one. Further, he claimed that he would not essentially approve it. However, a demonstration of the need rather than the recount of the number of documents is necessary.
The hearing on August 30 entailed motions from the fallen businessman’s attorneys seeking his shot term release to prepare for his criminal trial on October 3. On August 11, Kaplan canceled SBF’s bail, resulting in this remand at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. His attorneys claimed the lack of reliable internet access and documents linked to the case needed to be more sufficient for the trial’s preparation.
Attorneys Allege Impossibility for Client to Review Vast Evidence
Danielle Sassoon, Assistant United States Attorney, claimed that SBF should review the evidence 70 hours weekly. Besides, his legal team can visit him every day. This is not a pro se defendant since he has numerous experts and attorneys who prepare nonstop.
Kaplan claimed he would accept motions from prosecutors and Bankman-Fried’s attorneys by September 1 and give a ruling the following week, September 4. This day marks Labor Day, a U.S national holiday.
Further, the filings entailed SBF’s defense strategy of claiming he exercised honesty, following earlier counsel’s advice regarding his supposed actions at Alameda Research and FTX.
SBF faces 12 criminal charges spread across two trials planned to start on October 2, 2023, and March 11, 2024. So far, he has pleaded not guilty.
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