FTX founder Sam Bankman Fried’s lawyers can now meet him in the prison during the legal visitation hours to prepare the defense for his case, ruled Judge Lewis Kaplan, overseeing this case. However, the judge denied his request to allow him to meet his lawyers daily at their Manhattan office, media reports said.
Bankman Fried, whose bail was revoked two weeks before the trial was to begin on October 3, is lodged at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York. The judge also allowed him “frequent access” to a computer and can request “selected material” to be downloaded on hard drives.
The FTX founder’s bail was revoked, and he was sent to the high-security prison after the judge found him repeatedly violating his bail conditions. In particular, he tried to contact witnesses slated to testify against him. Earlier this year, prosecutors warned him for using a VPN to speak to a former FTX executive. More recently, he was chastised by the prosecutors for allegedly leaking the diary entries of Caroline Ellison, former CEO of Alameda Research. The prosecutors said it was an attempt to intimidate Ellison.
FTX, the third largest crypto exchange, faced financial troubles and filed for bankruptcy in November 2022.
