Sam Bankman-Fried, the co-founder of FTX, has requested a long-term release of Adderall from a US judge due to difficulties in maintaining concentration during his ongoing criminal trial. In an October 15 letter to New York District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Bankman-Fried's lawyers requested permission for him to take a "12-hour extended-release 20 mg" dose of Adderall before his October 16 trial. They cited his lack of prescribed stimulants during the trial as the reason for his decreased ability to concentrate effectively.
As Bankman-Fried's defense case nears and the decision of whether he will testify approaches, his legal team expressed concerns that he may be unable to participate meaningfully in his defense without medication. They noted that the former FTX CEO had been doing his best to stay focused during the trial despite not taking medication. However, they highlighted that even if he were to take the extended-release dose, there was no guarantee it would be effective.
Should Bankman-Fried be unable to take the extended-release dose or if the medication doesn't work as expected, his attorneys requested that the trial be paused for one day on October 17 to explore a workable solution for the remainder of the proceedings. In a separate request, they asked Judge Kaplan to permit them to provide Bankman-Fried's Adderall prescription to the district court during the trial. Their attempts to resolve the matter with the Bureau of Prisons had gone unanswered despite numerous efforts.
Judge Kaplan initially granted a motion in August to allow Bankman-Fried to take Adderall and antidepressants in prison, as he has a history of major depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has been receiving psychiatric treatment since early 2019. Shortly after the approval, Bankman-Fried's attorney complained about not receiving the medication, stating that he had been without Adderall for 11 days. His ongoing criminal trial is now entering its third week, during which the court has heard testimony from individuals such as Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research and Bankman-Fried's ex-girlfriend, as well as FTX co-founder Gary Wang and former FTX developer Adam Yedidia. Bankman-Fried has consistently maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
