Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, pleaded not guilty to the eight charges filed against him at his hearing at the New York US District Court on Jan. 3.
WATCH: FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried enters the US District Court in New York City, where he’s expected to plead not guilty to fraud https://t.co/ouA2Z5xIJU pic.twitter.com/6a0Mmt8hLU
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) January 3, 2023
The FTX founder was present at the court with his lawyers, Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell, before US district judge Lewis Kaplan. The court granted SBF’s plea, considering the threats his parents have received since FTX collapsed. Although Judge Kaplan granted the request, he left open the possibility that he would revisit the issue if there were any opposition.
The US District Court set a trial date for Oct. 2, 2023, following promises by US prosecutors that they would produce all evidence within four weeks. The plea, while not unexpected, will give Bankman-Fried more time to assess the evidence prosecutors have against him.
Earlier, Bankman Fried was given bail for a record $250 million bond. According to the bail conditions, he must be monitored constantly, undergo regular mental health checks, surrender his passport, and can’t move out of the Northern District of California.
Furthermore, SBF has requested the court redact the names of the co-signers of his bail, citing privacy and safety concerns of the individuals, according to the latest filing.
The other people linked with the case, former Alameda Research chief executive Caroline Ellison and FTX chief technology officer Gary Wang have pleaded guilty to fraud charges in cooperation agreements.
Meanwhile, another crucial figure in the case, Nishad Singh, former Director of Engineering at FTX, has been missing since FTX filed for bankruptcy. Singh held a 7.8% stake in the platform.
