Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyer: "A sentence of 110 years in prison is a real barbarity"
The defense of the ex-CEO of the bankrupt FTX crypto exchange, Sam Bankman-Fried, insists that the court reduce his prison term from 110 years to five or six years in prison.
Lawyer Marc Mukasey appealed to the Manhattan federal court, stating that the recommended life sentence for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried does not correspond to crimes related to cryptocurrencies. The lawyer argues that the prosecutor's office misunderstands the principles of sentencing, so it would be fair if the court reduced the prison term to five or six and a half years.
The defense stressed that, despite the collapse of FTX, the exchange accepts requests from customers for compensation. And Bankman-Fried himself deeply regrets the moral and material damage he has caused to his clients over the past two years.
"If we take into account Bankman-Fried's charitable work and his willingness to fulfill obligations to clients, a lighter sentence will help him be useful to society. A sentence of 110 years in prison is barbaric. This is unfair for a person who has committed a nonviolent offense for the first time," the lawyer says.
FTX crypto exchange declared bankruptcy in November 2022. The company owes more than $3 billion to its 50 largest creditors. In November 2023, the jury unanimously found the FTX founder guilty of fraud using electronic means of communication, embezzlement of user funds and conspiracy. It is expected that on March 28, 2024, Judge Lewis Kaplan will sentence Bankman-Fried.
Source: https://bits.media/advokat-sema-benkmana-frida-prigovor-v-110-let-tyurmy-nastoyashchee-varvarstvo/
