A US federal judge is reportedly weighing a proposal to split the criminal charges against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) into two trials after prosecutors filed documents.
Southern District of New York Judge Lewis Kaplan is considering whether to dismiss or separate criminal charges against Bankman-Fried after the former FTX made "imaginative" arguments, the Wall Street Journal reported on June 15. A case was filed against the CEO' s legal team. Bankman-Fried's attorneys filed the motion arguing he should not face charges not included in extradition documents from the Bahamas to the United States in 2022.
SBF's original indictment included eight criminal charges, but a superseding indictment in February and a follow-up charge added in March brought the total to 13. Bribery of Chinese government officials and other matters related to FTX and Alameda Research fraud. Justice Department pro Secutors said they were preparing to start a trial on SBF's original indictment in October, with proceedings on the remaining five charges to be determined by Judge Kaplan. The Wall Street Journal reported that the judge said he was unlikely to dismiss any criminal charges outright before trial .
Bankman-Fried was extradited from the Bahamas to the United States as part of a case initiated by the Justice Department following the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX in November 2022 and allegations of misuse of client funds. SBF has pleaded not guilty to all char ges and is largely confined to his parents' home in California as part of his bail conditions.
Former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison and FTX co-founder Gary Wang have pleaded guilty to charges related to an alleged financial dispute between FTX and Alameda. FTX's bankruptcy case has also been pending in Delaware courts.
