Sam Bankman-Fried was a hot news topic for a long time last year following the developments of his criminal case. However, the world moved on after his trial and his sentencing to 25 years in prison. But Sam is again back in the news as new information comes to light.
More: FTX and Alameda Research Transfer $10.8M to Binance, Coinbase, and Wintermute
Sam Bankman-Fried has just been sentenced to 25 years in prison
— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) March 28, 2024
remember when some supposedly very smart people were so sure he wasn't even going to be investigated pic.twitter.com/S2Kkq59l3l
A group of doctors has revealed vital information that could have impacted Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial. According to the doctors, the former CEO of FTX might have had his case affected by his neurodivergence disorders, which impacted his attitude toward the judges and ultimately frustrated the court.
In a September 20 amicus brief to support Bankman-Fried, eight doctors revealed that Sam is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), both of which caused challenges for him in court.
The doctors claimed that the Manhattan district court's decision allowing prosecutors to cross-examine him without a jury was detrimental to Bankman-Fried.
I’m shocked that more people aren’t pointing out that SBF’s “indifference to his own happiness” and “emotional detachment” are *exactly* the side effect you’d anticipate from taking near the maximum allowable dosage of Adderall every day, which he does pic.twitter.com/baLWqzWZ7p
— Austen Allred (@Austen) April 6, 2024
According to the doctors, the judge’s repeated chiding of Bankman-Fried’s lengthy responses and attempts at clarifying and rephrasing questions also affected him. They explained that such behavior was common in people with ASD because they understand language in a literal manner.
Supporting their arguments, the doctors also revealed that following that incident of chiding, Bankman-Fried’s responses became largely limited to one-word responses such as "yup," which could be misinterpreted as arrogance by the court.
They added that Bankman-Fried’s lack of access to a “range of FTX documents” was also detrimental to his case, as individuals with ASD may feel handicapped without concrete documentation. The former FTX CEO was also denied the medication he needed to focus properly during the first three weeks of the trial.
In other news, Caroline Ellison, the former lover of Sam Bankman-Fried and co-CEO of Alameda Research, is also sharing information in Sam’s recent media spotlight.
Former FTX executive Caroline Ellison faces sentencing https://t.co/xpniWqycLk
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 24, 2024
Come Tuesday, Ellison will be facing her sentencing for the part she played in FTX’s multi-billion-dollar collapse at a federal court in Manhattan. Because Sam Bankman-Fried, the main man, got 25 years in prison for his crimes, the only question now is how much Caroline will get.
Ellison had a big hand in what went down. She borrowed billions of dollars in customer funds from FTX at the behest of Sam Bankman-Fried, using the funds to cover up Alameda’s losses and funding political donations and risky investments in startups.
By the time the fraud was discovered, Alameda and FTX had lost $8 billion worth of FTX customers’ deposits. Ellison’s charges from the aftermath of the entire case add up to two counts each of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in addition to one count each of conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
FTX's Caroline Ellison is being sentenced tomorrow.
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) September 23, 2024
There's a 41% chance she doesn't go to prison. pic.twitter.com/DqQtJm6v2c
The combined maximum sentence for all these crimes is 110 years, and Ellison has already pleaded guilty. However, analysts believe she might not be doing jail time at all, given her plea deal with federal prosecutors in 2022. Whether or not the plea deal shields her totally from jail time is yet to be seen.
Related: Justice for SBF Team
She will be sentenced at the U.S District Court of the Southern District of New York in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, September 24, and the sentencing begins at 3 p.m. ET.
Richard Adrian
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