FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), who has recently been sentenced to 25 years in prison, gave his first media interview last weekend. He claimed that he had never considered his actions to be illegal and had never intended to harm or defraud anyone. His defense team plans to appeal the decision.
Background:
SBF Sentenced to 25 Years: Judge, Lawyers, and His Own Defense Revealed in Open Court
Additional Background:
SBF’s Century Trial Concludes: 25 Years Imprisonment, Forfeiture of $11 Billion, What Did He Say During the Hearing?
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) of the bankrupt exchange has been charged with seven crimes, including wire fraud, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison on March 28 by the U.S. Federal District Court. He was also ordered to forfeit over $11 billion in assets, and the judge suggested that SBF be placed in a prison near his family’s residence in the San Francisco Bay Area.
First Interview After Sentencing
Following his sentencing, SBF gave his first interview to ABC News last weekend. When answering questions via email from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, he stated that Judge Lewis Kaplan criticized him for not expressing any remorse for the terrible crimes he committed, but SBF insisted that he does feel remorse. He acknowledged feeling the pain of his colleagues who had put their all into their work, and he also recognized the distress caused to the charitable organizations he supported, as his funding ended up damaging their reputations.
SBF admitted to being haunted daily by what he has lost. He claimed that he had never intended to harm or take money from anyone, but as the CEO of FTX, he takes responsibility for the situation and is willing to do whatever it takes to help repair even a small portion of the damage.
SBF Plans to Appeal
Regarding his 25-year sentence, SBF stated that his defense team plans to appeal later this year, citing “serious misstatements of what actually happened” in certain trial testimonies. He also mentioned that his defense team was not allowed to present crucial evidence or provide important witnesses.
SBF did not provide specific details about the appeal, emphasizing that he does not want to influence the legal strategy of his defense team.
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