Sam Bankman-Fried pushes disputed retrial claims

Sam Bankman-Fried has launched a new public campaign on X seeking to reframe his FTX conviction as politically motivated as he pushes for a new trial from prison.

The former FTX chief has argued that prosecutors, judges and political forces engaged in “lawfare” against him, but several of his claims conflict with court records and established facts.

Bankman-Fried has compared his treatment to that of Donald Trump, claiming both were gagged by Judge Lewis Kaplan, despite records showing Trump faced no public gag order from Kaplan and that Bankman-Fried was restricted only after violating pretrial conditions.

He has also revived arguments that FTX was always solvent and that customer funds were not stolen, a defence that was rejected by the jury and contradicted by findings that assets were misused at the time.

Other posts mischaracterise prosecutorial actions, including claims that a former federal prosecutor was fired, when public records show she resigned over an unrelated Justice Department dispute.

Bankman-Fried further alleges the case was driven by politics and crypto regulation, despite courts ruling the prosecution rested on documentary evidence, internal messages and witness testimony.

The renewed narrative underscores the gap between Bankman-Fried’s public claims and judicial findings as his bid for a new trial faces scrutiny.