Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has been denied his request for temporary release and will likely remain in jail until his trial begins on October 3rd. United States District Court Judge Lewis A. Kaplan made the decision on September 12th, stating that Bankman-Fried’s lack of internet access in prison as a reason for his temporary release was not sufficient.
Judge Kaplan explained that any time pressure Bankman-Fried may face in preparing for his trial and accessing electronically stored discovery and other materials while incarcerated is largely his own doing. This ruling means that Bankman-Fried will have to continue his trial preparations from behind bars without internet access.
Bankman-Fried’s lawyers had previously complained about the poor internet connection in prison, noting that their client often had to wait up to 10 minutes for the homepage to load. However, this argument did not sway Judge Kaplan in his decision.
It is worth noting that Bankman-Fried and his legal team had an opportunity to request a postponement of the trial date, which is currently set for October 2nd. However, they did not make such a request, further supporting the judge’s decision to deny temporary release.
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As this is a developing story, more information will be added as it becomes available. It remains to be seen how Bankman-Fried will navigate the challenges of preparing for his trial without internet access.
