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Here’s How Sam Bankman-Fried’s High-Stakes Trial Could Play Out

Nik De, CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation, discusses the importance of jury selection in the trial and how many years Sam Bankman-Fried may face if found guilty.

September 29, 2023

The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, is set to begin on October 3. The 31-year-old is accused of committing wire fraud and conspiracy to commit other types of fraud, in relation to the dramatic collapse of his crypto empire last year, which led to billions in losses. Nik De, CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation, discusses the importance of jury selection, the potential testimony of key witnesses, and how many years Bankman-Fried may face if he is found guilty.

Show highlights:

  • Why SBF's lawyers keep requesting the FTX founder be released
  • Why the jury selection is so important and how long it could take
  • Why the DOJ opposed the proposed questions for the jury
  • Why the Judge agreed with the DOJ in blocking some of the witnesses proposed by the defense team
  • How the defense team may try to discredit some of the proposed witnesses
  • Whether the argument of SBF receiving “poor legal advice” holds any ground
  • What role the political donations made by SBF may play in the trial
  • How many years SBF could face if he were to be found guilty

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Guest |

Nik De, CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation

Previous appearances on Unchained:

Links |

Previous coverage from Unchained on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX:

SBF’s defense team motions:

Key witnesses:

Jury selection:

Unchained Podcast is Produced by Laura Shin Media, LLC.  Distributed by CoinDesk. Senior Producer is Michele Musso and Executive Producer is Jared Schwartz.