Media: Sam Bankman-Fried chose new lawyers before sentencing

On February 21, 2024, the former CEO of the bankrupt FTX exchange, Sam Bankman-Fried, appeared in court. He confirmed his intentions to hire new lawyers, according to Reuters.

According to available information, Bankman-Fried replaced his former lawyers Mark Cohen and Christian Everdale. Mark Mukasey will defend him during sentencing on March 28, 2024.

During the short hearing, SBF said that it was ready to hire a new team and was not afraid of a possible conflict of interest related to the Alex Mashinsky case. Recall that Mark Mukasey, along with Torrey Young, will defend the ex-CEO of the Celsius crypto lender in court.

It is reported that Bankman-Fried described Celsius as "a firm with which he had business contacts." He confirmed that he had consulted with Cohen and Everdale about a potential conflict of interest and intended to continue working with new lawyers.

The source claims that the Alameda Research hedge fund used stolen funds from FTX clients to repay money borrowed from Celsius. Subsequently, prosecutors said that Bankman-Fried and Mashinsky may have different opinions on whether Celsius was deceived and whether it is entitled to restitution.

During the case, SBF said that he continues to take antidepressants and adderall, which is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In September 2023, the ex-CEO of FTX admitted that he had suffered from depression for a long time.

Source: https://incrypted.com/smi-sem-benkman-frid-vybral-novyh-advokatov-pered-vyneseniem-prigovora/