SBF Plans to Appeal 25-Year Sentence, Citing “Crucial Evidence”
Despite admitting his wrongdoings, SBF is not ready to accept his fate. In written responses provided to ABC News over the weekend, the former billionaire revealed his intention to appeal later this year
Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) was sentenced to 25 years in prison on March 28 after being found guilty on seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. This sentence marked the end of the shocking collapse of FTX, which at one point was valued at $32 billion and was one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges globally.
Despite admitting his wrongdoings, SBF is not ready to accept his fate. In written responses provided to ABC News over the weekend, the former billionaire revealed his intention to appeal later this year.
SBF Plans to Appeal Case
While confessing to feeling "haunted, every day" and expressing no intention to cause harm through FTX's collapse, SBF revealed to ABC News his plans to file an appeal, citing serious procedural flaws in the trial process that, in his view, unfairly tilted the case against him.
Central to SBF's claims is that the trial testimony "greatly misstated what actually happened," and that his defense team was "not allowed to introduce crucial evidence or put on important witnesses." Although hesitant to divulge specific details for fear of undermining his appeal, SBF referred to issues surrounding Sullivan & Cromwell, the law firm representing the management team that took over FTX during bankruptcy.
SBF stated that Sullivan & Cromwell had improperly collaborated with federal prosecutors, including sharing FTX documents and information that his own defense team was denied access to. The FTX founder claimed this alleged violation "infected the whole process" and is grounds for appealing the case.
