SBF Launches Appeal, Claims He Was “Presumed Guilty” Before Trial

Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the founder of the collapsed FTX exchange, has begun the appeal process to overturn his fraud conviction and 25-year prison sentence. His legal counsel, Alexandra Shapiro, will argue that SBF was treated as guilty from the outset, violating the presumption of innocence and leading to a biased trial. Shapiro contended in a brief that fair trial principles were ignored in a "sentence first, verdict afterwards" rush to judgment following FTX's collapse. The defense claims the court blocked crucial evidence showing FTX and Alameda Research were solvent during the market panic, preventing the jury from seeing that the downfall was due to a liquidity crunch, not insolvency. Furthermore, the defense argues the judge undermined SBF's credibility by mocking his demeanor during testimony. If the Second Circuit sides with SBF, the case could be sent back for a new trial.

(Source：BeInCrypto)