For months,Sullivan&Cromwell has funnelled documents and other evidence to the prosecution,the filings say. Bankman-Fried’s lawyers claimed that prosecutors had been seeking only the most incriminating documents,even though FTX might also be sitting on material that could help the defence.
In effect,they argued,prosecutors have been “outsourcing” the legal requirement to provide potentially helpful material to the defence team,shifting that responsibility to a “private party” with no obligation to Bankman-Fried.
Representatives for FTX,Sullivan&Cromwell and the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“FTX’s legal advisors went to the government to accuse Mr Bankman-Fried behind his back without knowing the full facts,and ultimately forced him to step down as CEO.”
Sam Bankman-Fried’s defence lawyers
Federal prosecutors have charged Bankman-Fried with orchestrating a vast fraud that misappropriated billions of dollars in customer money from FTX. Authorities have also charged him with money laundering,bribing the Chinese government and overseeing an illegal campaign finance scheme that showered tens of millions of dollars on Democratic and Republican candidates.
Bankman-Fried,31,has pleaded not guilty to those charges. His lawyers at the New York firm Cohen&Gresser have said they are prepared to go to trial in federal court in Manhattan as soon as October.