Sam Bankman-Fried Withdraws New Trial Motion but Pushes for Judge Reassignment

Former Sam Bankman-Fried has withdrawn his motion requesting a new criminal trial but continues to seek reassignment to a different judge as his appeal moves forward. The decision was revealed in a Wednesday filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, where Bankman-Fried responded to inquiries from Lewis Kaplan regarding whether he had legal assistance in submitting earlier filings.

Bankman-Fried clarified that although he consulted his parents, including his mother Barbara Fried, he remained the “ultimate author” of the documents. The judge had raised questions after prosecutors suggested that Bankman-Fried may not have independently filed a request for an extension to submit a Rule 33 motion for a new trial shortly after his mother sent a separate letter to the court.

In his latest filing, Bankman-Fried stated that he was withdrawing the Rule 33 motion without prejudice, meaning he may renew it after his direct appeal and request for reassignment are decided. He also argued that he did not believe he would receive a fair hearing before Judge Kaplan, alleging “extreme prejudice.”

Bankman-Fried, who was convicted in 2023 on fraud charges tied to misuse of customer funds at the now-defunct FTX, is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence at Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc I. His appeal is pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Separately, Bankman-Fried has signaled interest in seeking a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. His previous filings alleged that the U.S. Department of Justice under former President Joe Biden pressured witnesses during his trial. However, in a January interview, Trump indicated he had no plans to pardon the former executive.

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