Bankman-Fried’s lawyers want to block potential trial testimonies

Some witness testimonies should be blocked, SBF lawyers argued in a Monday letter to Judge Kaplan

article-image

Artwork by Crystal Le

share

As former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried faces trial in New York this week, his lawyers continue to clash with the US government. 

In a letter sent to Judge Lewis Kaplan, who will oversee the trial, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys are pushing to toss a motion from the US government. 

Bankman-Fried’s trial begins with jury selection on Wednesday and is expected to last roughly six weeks.

Read more: Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial starts Oct. 3: What you need to know

According to the letter filed by the government, prosecutors are both seeking and seeking to use testimonies from FTX customers on how they believed their assets were being used, investor testimonies focused on FTX as a custodian, and “alleged coconspirator witnesses regarding their interpretation of statements made by” SBF.

Lawyers for Bankman-Fried argued that the government is seeking the motion prematurely and the testimonies are focused on the opinions and interpretations of the FTX customers. 

Bankman-Fried’s team was dealt a loss ahead of the trial when Judge Kaplan ruled in favor of the government’s motion to block a handful of expert witness testimonies. On the same grounds, Bankman-Fried’s team argues, the government should not be able to use investor testimony.

“The Second Circuit held that excluding defense expert testimony that would counter the government’s arguments as to what a reasonable investor would have found material would leave the defendant “only with the ‘victims’ of his conduct as sources of potential testimony on this issue, an odd limitation where the jury is to evaluate materiality in an objective manner,” lawyers wrote Monday.

Finally, in regards to the alleged co-conspirators, the lawyers claim that the request for testimony is both premature and vague “because none of the requisite evidentiary and factual foundations exist and it is unclear whether they ever will be.”

However, if Kaplan rules in favor of the government then the defense argues that it should, at the very least, be allowed to cross-examine the witnesses.

Blockworks reporters Casey Wagner and James Cirrone are covering Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial from the courtroom in New York. Follow for instant trial updates on their X accounts.


Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter.

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter.

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Flashnote Template (6).png

Research

Trading of the President's TRUMP memecoin sent the market capitalization to over $15B, resulting in all-time highs for Solana’s Real Economic Value, DEX volumes, and stablecoin supply. This event further validates Solana as the venue for high-throughput onchain activity, with Solana DEXs and DeFi applications as primary beneficiaries, while also signaling to further experimentation, utilization, and adoption of memecoins as legitimate financial instruments for speculation, crowdfunding, or capital formation. President Trump’s continued willingness to experiment in crypto reaffirms a highly-favorable political and regulatory climate for the industry.

article-image

Back in 2021, there were really only two memecoins and both hit enormous peaks along with BTC

article-image

Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron thinks that yield-bearing stablecoins could be the next big narrative

article-image

A Nova Labs exec referred to the last-day lawsuit “as irresponsible as it is wrong-headed”

article-image

Corresponding resolutions were introduced to “roll back the disastrous” rule requiring custodial brokers to report transactions

article-image

Donald Trump has slightly backed off from the ambitious tariff goals he touted on the campaign trail

article-image

Some have called it “a relief” that the task force will be led by the crypto-friendly Hester Peirce