Share this @internewscast.com

Sam Bankman-Fried will learn his sentence Thursday, four months after he was found guilty of orchestrating the multibillion-dollar fraud that prompted the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange.

A federal jury in New York City convicted Bankman-Fried, 32, in November on each of the two counts of fraud and five counts of conspiracy he faced. He has been jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center facility in Brooklyn ever since, with his bail having been revoked over witness-tampering allegations.

Federal prosecutors are seeking as much as 50 years of the statutory 110-year sentence implied by the conviction. Bankman-Fried apparently lacks a criminal history, and prosecutors rarely seek the statutory maximum, said John Coffee, a professor at Columbia University Law School specializing in white-collar criminal defense.

But the nature of the fraud, Bankman-Fried’s comfortable upbringing and the scale of losses to victims led prosecutors to nevertheless seek an aggressive sentence.

“In every part of his business, and with respect to each crime committed, the defendant demonstrated a brazen disrespect for the rule of law,” the prosecutors wrote. “He understood the rules, but decided they did not apply to him. He knew what society deemed illegal and unethical, but disregarded that based on a pernicious megalomania guided by the defendant’s own values and sense of superiority.”

The prosecutors said Bankman-Fried “knew his customers’ expectations — that he would hold their money safe — but he disregarded them based on a callous belief that he could put their money to better use.

Bankman-Fried’s defense team is asking for 6½ years or less. In a 98-page filing pleading for leniency, they cited Bankman-Fried’s mental health struggles, his purported selflessness in his personal life and the safety risks he faces in prison.

They also argued FTX victims did not end up suffering losses — a notion against which the exchange’s current overseer, John Ray, has pushed back.

“There are plenty of things we did not get back, like the bribes to Chinese officials or the hundreds of millions of dollars he spent to buy access to or time with celebrities or politicians or investments for which he grossly overpaid having done zero diligence,” Ray wrote in a March 20 memo. “The harm was vast. The remorse is nonexistent.”

While the price of bitcoin has begun to surge again, FTX victims are entitled to recover crypto assets only at the prices observed when the exchange filed for bankruptcy.

Bankman-Fried’s consistent lack of remorse throughout the trial is likely to weigh on the sentence U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan hands down, Coffee said.

Bankman-Fried has “held to the line that he sympathizes with the victims and wants to help them get their money back. That’s not going to work,” Coffee said. “He’s got to find a way to walk a careful line, without abandoning his appeal, to express some contrition. Otherwise the judge is going to say: ‘This guy’s just sticking it to me.'”

A separate Bureau of Prisons official will decide where Bankman-Fried ends up serving his sentence. Federal cases do not allow the possibility of parole, but Coffee said Bankman-Fried may end up having some years shaved off his term for good behavior.

But it’s unlikely to add up to much of a reduction, Coffee said.

“He’s facing real time,” he said.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Florida sheriff shows off $50K chain snatched from alleged drug dealer implicated in overdose death

Florida Sheriff Displays $50K Chain Taken from Suspected Drug Dealer Linked to Overdose Death

Sheriff Grady Judd, known for his straightforward approach and flair for the…
Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre’s family says DOJ let Maxwell ‘rewrite history’ in released transcripts

Virginia Giuffre’s Family Criticizes DOJ for Allowing Maxwell to ‘Rewrite History’ in Released Transcripts

The family of the late Virginia Giuffre, a well-known Jeffrey Epstein accuser,…
Could the Donald Trump cashless bail executive order lead to the end of Illinois' no cash bail system? Experts weigh in

Experts Discuss Whether Donald Trump’s Cashless Bail Executive Order Could Terminate Illinois’ No Cash Bail Policy

CHICAGO (WLS) — Every courthouse in the state of Illinois has operated…
Venezuelan man wanted for Russian roulette torture attack captured by ICE agents in North Texas

ICE Agents Capture Venezuelan Man Wanted for Russian Roulette Torture Attack in North Texas

A Venezuelan national wanted for attempted femicide in a Russian roulette-style attack…
Long-elusive Mexican drug lord Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada pleads guilty in US

Elusive Mexican Cartel Leader Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Admits Guilt in US Court

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Mexican cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada…
Bondi Henchman Todd Blanche Offers Convicted Sex Trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell 'Proffer' Agreement

Bondi Henchman’s Todd Blanche Presents Proffer Agreement to Convicted Sex Trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell

He says the government can protect her. Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted for…
Travis Decker, wanted for murder.

FBI Takes Charge in Search for ‘Killer Dad’ Travis Decker After Three-Month Dead-End

THE FBI has taken over the expansive search effort for Travis Decker,…
Toddler with knife in head arriving at hospital.

Toddler Miraculously Walks Into Hospital with Knife in Head: Mother Claims Blade Accidentally Propelled from Bed While Changing Sheets

THIS is the horrifying moment a three-year-old girl walks into a hospital…
Florida AG announces probe of sanctuary jurisdictions that give trucking licenses to illegal immigrants

Florida Attorney General Launches Investigation into Sanctuary Areas Issuing Trucking Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants

Florida is investigating sanctuary jurisdictions that issue commercial driver’s licenses to undocumented…
9 officers shoot, kill suspect barricaded in truck, JSO says

JSO Reports Suspect Fatally Shot by 9 Officers During Truck Standoff

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a 37-year-old man was shot and killed…
President Donald Trump's threat to send National Guard to Chicago raises legal questions

President Trump’s Proposal to Deploy National Guard in Chicago Sparks Legal Debate

CHICAGO (WLS) — As Chicago anticipates a possible National Guard deployment initiated…
Winner of $8.75 million lottery ticket sold at Jacksonville Beach store revealed

Jacksonville Beach Store Sells Winning $8.75 Million Lottery Ticket: Winner Announced

Kelly Hagens, 56, of Jacksonville Beach, won the $8.75 million Florida Lotto…