The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has rejected FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s bid for release while his legal team appeals his conviction. The court cited Bankman-Fried’s alleged witness tampering as the main reason for rejecting his request. Bankman-Fried had previously attempted to tamper with two witnesses while on pretrial release, leading to his bail being revoked. He argued that his actions were protected under the First Amendment, but the appellate court disagreed, stating that witness tampering is not protected speech. Bankman-Fried’s legal team also argued that the District Court failed to consider a less restrictive alternative to detention, but this argument was also struck down. Bankman-Fried was found guilty of seven fraud and money laundering-related charges and will remain in jail until his sentencing on March 28, 2024.
