NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Embattled FTX founder Sam Bankman Fried is seeking to have all but three criminal charges against him dismissed as his lawyers contend that they violated the agreement under which he was extradited from The Bahamas to the United States back in December.
Bankman-Fried’s lawyers in court filings with the Southern New York feral court argued that charges against him involving US campaign finance law breaches, breaches of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, bank fraud and operating an unlicensed money transmission businesses should be struck out because they violated The Bahamas’ Extradition Act and treaty. His lawyers argue that he may only be tried in the United States on charges for which the extradition was granted which are primarily conspiracy charges. Based on the court filings, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers are ultimately seeking to have 10 of the 13 charges against him dismissed.
Further, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers contend that FTX was not the only cryptocurrency company to collapse during a broad market crash in 2022 and contend that prosecutors hastily charged Bankman-Fried in a “rush to judgment.”
“In sum, the government’s haste and apparent willingness to proceed without having all the relevant facts and information has produced an indictment that is not only improperly brought but legally flawed and should be dismissed,” they argued.
After spending a week on remand at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS), Bankman-Fried, 31, was extradited to the United States back in December where he faces charges, including wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering, related to the collapse of his crypto exchange. Federal prosecutors have Bankman-Fried with misappropriating billions of dollars in customer money from FTX.
A day after his high-profile extradition to the United States Sam Bankman-Fried was released on a $250 million bond. A trial date has been set for October 2.
Bankman-Fried’s former business partners Carolyn Ellison who ran Alameda Research, Gary Wang, FTX’s co-founder FTX and former FTX Director of Engineering Nishad Singh have already pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
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