In a letter to US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, the
31-year-old former billionaire's lawyers said federal prosecutors in Manhattan
had not yet turned over evidence collected from electronic devices belonging to
Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang, previously two of their client's closest
associates.
Both have since pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with
prosecutors.
The lawyers also noted that prosecutors added new fraud and
conspiracy charges late last month, boosting the number of counts to twelve,
following the November collapse of Bankman-Fried's now-bankrupt exchange and
his arrest the next month.
In January, Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to the original
eight counts that he cheated investors and caused billions of dollars in
losses, in what prosecutors have called an "epic" fraud.
"While we are not making such an application at this
time, we wanted to note this issue for the Court now," Christian Everdell,
one of Bankman-Fried's lawyers, wrote in the letter. A spokesman for the US
Attorney's office in Manhattan declined to comment.
Bankman-Fried rode a boom in the values of bitcoin and other
digital assets to an estimated $26 billion net worth, and became an influential donor to
U.S. political campaigns.
But his fortune evaporated after concerns about commingling
of funds between FTX and Alameda Research, a hedge fund he also owned, spurred
the cryptocurrency equivalent of a run on the bank at FTX.
Bankman-Fried was released on $250 million bond and has been
under house arrest at his parents' Palo Alto, California home.
Kaplan has suggested his bail could be revoked after
prosecutors said he may have tried to tamper with witnesses. Prosecutors over
the weekend proposed Bankman-Fried remain free with strict limits on his use of
technology.
The trial schedule and Bankman-Fried's bail conditions are
expected to be discussed at a court hearing on Friday. © Reuters
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