Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the co-founder of the defunct FTX cryptocurrency exchange, has been given sufficient time and resources to review discovery materials in the case against him, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tuesday.
Bankman-Fried is due to go on trial in early October, where he faces seven counts of fraud-related crimes. On August 11, the former CEO of FTX was arrested sentenced to prison U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan found him guilty of tampering with evidence.
Sam Bankman-Fried has the privilege
On Tuesday, September 5, the U.S. Department of Justice responded to Judge Lewis Kaplan’s order for a report on Sam Bankman-Fried’s status at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC).according to prosecutor’s letterdefendants are allowed to use air-gapped laptops in the visiting room at certain times on weekdays and weekends.
The letter submitted by the DOJ reads as follows:
Beginning August 31, 2023, defendants may review electronic discovery at the MDC using an air-gapped laptop, available Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 7:00pm and at the 8:00am Legal Visiting Room Use: Saturday to Sunday and holidays, 00:00 am to 3:30 pm.
Additionally, prosecutors allege there have been no reports of problems with the functionality of the USB ports, software applications used so far, or other technical components of the laptop. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Detention Center has approved the use of a second air-gapped laptop, which can be stored in an area adjacent to his housing unit “for added convenience”.
According to the DOJ report, three internet speed tests were conducted at different times in cell areas where the SBF used the internet. These tests showed a download transfer rate of 34 Mbps in the morning and early afternoon.
Meanwhile, download transfer rates of 7.5 Mbps were reported in the late afternoon, slower than earlier. However, prosecutors claim such network conditions are still “sufficient for most Internet censorship activities.”
Lawyers for SBF take issue with current system
Sam Bankman-Fried’s legal team unhappy with current arrangement A letter dated September 5 To Judge Kaplan. Even under the current system, the lawyer argues, defendants have no “meaningful opportunity to prepare their defence.”
The lawyers explained a specific incident that occurred during the detention:
Friday, September 1, 2023 is the first full day that Mr. Bankman-Fried will be able to work on his materials at the MDC. But contrary to plan, MDC staff told Mr. Bankman-Fried he had to leave the visiting room around 2:30 p.m. and return to the unit for counting. This deprived him of 4.5 hours of possible work time.
Legal counsel for Sam Bankman-Fried said the loss of four hours a day did not fit with the government’s original arrangement.Lawyers then used the opportunity to pressure Sam Bankman-Fried released temporarily from detention.
The cryptocurrency total market cap on the daily timeframe | Source: TOTAL chart on TradingView
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