Advocates for Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried, anticipated to be sentenced on March 28 following his conviction on seven felony counts, have referred to as for leniency for the previous FTX CEO.
In letters filed in United States District Courtroom for the Southern District of New York on March 26, 5 people called on Decide Lewis Kaplan to impose a lightweight sentence on SBF. The letters, from individuals who knew Bankman-Fried personally or had been impacted by the collapse of FTX, highlighted SBF’s vegan way of life, his expertise coping with autism, and the alternate’s plan to repay customers.
Dr. Adam Hesterberg, who lived with SBF from 2012 to 2014, argued the previous FTX CEO ought to obtain “leniency in his sentence” based mostly partially on changing half of their family to vegetarianism or veganism. Others who didn’t know the CEO personally suggested that Decide Kaplan think about Bankman-Fried’s atypical “character traits” out and in of the courtroom.
“I can communicate from expertise that the thoughts of these on the spectrum works otherwise,” said Maria Centrella, a mom of a kid identified with autism. “Although I’ve by no means met Sam, I firmly imagine that whereas he could also be an MIT grad – he didn’t absolutely perceive the scope of what was happening and didn’t have malicious intent.”
Prosecutors submitted a sentence recommendation that Bankman-Fried serve between 40 and 50 years for his function in misusing funds at FTX and Alameda Analysis. SBF’s legal professionals recommended he serve 6.5 years behind bars. The utmost allowable sentence provides Decide Kaplan the discretion to condemn SBF for as much as 110 years, however many have prompt that this consequence is unlikely.
Associated: SBF says proposed 50-year sentence casts him as ‘depraved super-villain’
Bankman-Fried’s quick household and others submitted similar character references to the choose in February, claiming that throwing him in jail could be “draconian” and current the chance of bodily hazard given his character. Most of the letters don’t point out the influence the collapse of FTX had on traders, who misplaced entry to hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
“SBF doesn’t need to get off evenly for his crimes due to the ‘autism defence,’” said AutismBC Director Lucas Gates in a Feb. 28 X publish. “He knew what he did was fraud, and he ought to go to jail for the remainder of his days.”
The previous FTX CEO has been in jail since Decide Kaplan revoked his bail in August 2023 following alleged makes an attempt to affect or intimidate witnesses in his felony case. In November, a jury convicted Bankman-Fried on all seven counts after a month-long trial.
Journal: ‘Less flashy’ Mashinsky set for less jail time than SBF: Inner City Press, X Hall of Flame
