The lawyers acting for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried have told a magistrate judge that he can’t adequately prepare for trial in six weeks as he’s living on bread, water and peanut butter.
Lawyers on Tuesday (August 22) claimed that he won’t be ready for the trial without proper access to computers and necessary medications to help him concentrate.
The comments came at a Manhattan federal court hearing after Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to seven charges including wire fraud and multiple conspiracy counts he’s set to face at his October 3 trial.
Attorney Mark Cohen told Netburn that Bankman-Fried hadn't received medication that's necessary for him to focus since he was sent to jail on Aug. 12.
He said his client continued to be served a “flesh diet,” leaving him to rely solely on bread, water and sometimes peanut butter.
“Your Honor, that’s outrageous and needs to be remedied,” he said of a man who had shuffled into the courtroom, his legs shackled.
Another defense attorney, Christian Everdell, told Netburn that Bankman-Fried was being denied the right to adequately prepare for trial because he was only allowed to review millions of pages of evidence two days a week.
“There is no way for him to effectively prepare for his defense,” Everdell said.
Bankman-Fried is the founder of failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX. He was charged with "one of the biggest financial frauds in US history" last year by US authorities.
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