The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried commenced on Tuesday morning, featuring a jury pool of over 50 individuals and approximately 40 journalists at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in lower Manhattan, media reports said.
The morning was dedicated to screening potential jurors for hardships related to the six-week trial, including medical issues and conflicts.
Although some potential jurors were dismissed, the judge expressed confidence in seating a full jury of 12 people and six alternates by the end of the day or by Wednesday morning at the latest. Nicholas Roos, one of the prosecutors, stated that Bankman-Fried was never offered a plea deal.
Before prospective jurors entered, the judge informed the defendant of his right to testify in his defense, leaving the decision up to Bankman-Fried after the defense rests. Whether he will testify remains uncertain. Voir dire (jury selection) is set to continue Tuesday afternoon, with the trial expected to span approximately six weeks.
Meanwhile, Bankman-Fried, who maintains his innocence amid multiple fraud charges following FTX’s bankruptcy filing in November, opposed the testimony of former company insiders.
While the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) prosecutors sought statements from former customers and investors regarding their understanding of how FTX would secure their assets, Bankman-Fried’s lawyer, Mark Cohen, argued in a publicly disclosed filing on Tuesday that such a request is “premature.”
He contended that allowing these statements would lead the jury to premature conclusions, asserting that the jury should draw their own inferences.
