- SBF claims restrictions on tech access in jail have kept him from preparing his defense
- Prosecutors counter that they are just inconveniences
- He lost bail due to witness tampering
Prosecutors are disputing claims asserted by Sam Bankman-Fried that restrictions on his access to technology in jail have kept him from preparing his defense, a Tuesday court filing shows, cited by CoinDesk.
A few days ago, the former FTX CEO’s attorneys asked a court in the Southern District of New York to grant their client access to a cellblock at the federal courthouse in Manhattan five days a week in the period leading up to his trial in October and to equip him with an internet-enabled laptop.
Merely an “inconvenience”
Prosecutors countered that the technological restrictions imposed on SBF were just “inconveniences” and did not stop him from preparing his defense. They claimed the obstacles were necessary as a result of his purported tampering with witnesses. In a response to his attorney’s request, prosecutors claimed his unlimited access to technology was restricted as a result of his criminal activities while out on bail.
His access goes beyond what other detainees get
The prosecutors have pointed out that SBF’s access to technological devices already goes beyond what is available to pretrial detainees. He is allowed to use a non-internet-enabled laptop at the Detention Center in Brooklyn and one with internet access as well as MS Office, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat at a cellblock in the Manhattan courthouse twice a week.
However, he does not want to go to that cellblock anymore. He is looking for better pretrial release measures according to prosecutors.
He lost bail, request to visit lawyers was denied
SBF request to visit his attorneys’ offices in Manhattan five days a week was denied. He also lost his bail in August after the presiding judge ruled he evaded its restrictions by trying to intimidate former Alameda and FTX executives, including former co-CEO of Alameda and ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison.
Before losing bail, Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyers asked the court in the Southern District of New York for a third extension on enforcing its terms, pointing to issues with installing special image taking software on his parents’ cell phones. The phones were to take pictures of the user every five minutes, which they couldn’t.
