SBF Withdraws Motion for Rehearing, Citing Inability to Receive a Fair Hearing from the Judge

According to The Block, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) submitted a letter on April 22 local time to U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the Southern District of New York, announcing his temporary withdrawal of his previously filed Rule 33 motion for a new trial, citing his “lack of belief that he would receive a fair hearing from the judge.” SBF stated that he independently conceived the motion and conducted most of the legal research while incarcerated at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, without consulting his attorneys; he shared only a draft with his parents and received editorial suggestions from them. His mother, Barbara Fried, had previously filed the motion on his behalf in March. SBF also indicated that he reserves the right to refile the motion following rulings on his direct appeal and motion to recuse the judge. In November 2023, SBF was found guilty by a jury on seven counts of fraud and subsequently sentenced to 25 years in prison. Prosecutors described his conduct as “the largest fraud of the past decade.” Earlier, SBF had sought a presidential pardon from Donald Trump but was denied.