Former FTX chief Sam Bankman-Fried seeks no more than six years in prison as sentencing trial awaits
Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried, the former head of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, have requested a sentence of just five to six years in prison in the wake of his conviction last year on seven counts of fraud.
Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried, the former head of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, have requested a sentence of just five to six years in prison in the wake of his conviction last year on seven counts of fraud.
U.S. probation officials have recommended a sentence of 100 years for Bankman-Fried's role in orchestrating what prosecutors described as an elaborate, multibillion-dollar fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 28.
In a 98-page memo filed Tuesday, Bankman-Fried's lawyers portray him as suffering from an array of neurological and personality issues that could not be overcome, turning him into a "tragic" figure.
"Sam presents at times as a paradox," the lawyers write. "Not because he is deliberately deceiving or conniving, but rather because that is how he is 'wired' as a human. He has an exceptional IQ, but difficulty with conventional styles of communication, especially around emotion."
They add that those who know Bankman-Fried know he is "selfless, altruistic, and cares about those less fortunate."
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