Law Firms Michael R. Becker FollowNEW YORK, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried will likely defend himself at his fraud trial, due to begin on Tuesday, by arguing he did not think the use by his FTX cryptocurrency exchange of customer funds was improper and by challenging the credibility of those who say otherwise.
He has long acknowledged failing to manage risk at FTX, but denied prosecutors' claims he stole billions of dollars in FTX customer deposits to plug Alameda's losses.
In September court papers, Bankman-Fried's lawyers said he had a "good faith belief" that the manner in which FTX and Alameda handled customer funds was permissible.
Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, arrives at court as lawyers push to persuade the judge overseeing his fraud case not to jail him ahead of trial, at a courthouse in New York, U.S., August 11, 2023.
Prosecutors are seeking to play jurors a recording of an Alameda meeting in which Ellison told colleagues that Bankman-Fried approved the use of customer funds.
Persons:
Michael R, Becker, Sam Bankman, Fried, FTX, Alameda, Jordan Estes, Estes, Kramer Levin, Eduardo Munoz, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Tim Howard, Freshfields, Ellison, Wang, Kaplan, Luc Cohen, Amy Stevens, Daniel Wallis
Organizations:
Alameda Research, New York Times, REUTERS, U.S, Attorney's, District, Alameda, Prosecutors, Thomson
Locations:
Brooklyn, Bankman, FTX, Alameda, New York, U.S, Manhattan