Disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyers on Sunday asked the judge presiding over his case for more Adderall, claiming that he would not be to “meaningfully participate” in his own defense without the drug.
In a letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan, the New York District judge presiding over the court case, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers asked if he could take a “12-hour extended release 20mg [milligram] dose of Adderall” before traveling to the trial on Monday.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (second on left) is led away in handcuffs by officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force in Nassau, Bahamas, on December 13, 2022. (MARIO DUNCANSON/AFP via Getty Images)
His lawyers have claimed that Bankman-Fried has been unable to “concentrate at the level he ordinarily would” without Adderall. Thus, if he were not able to get his requested dosage, his lawyers say that Bankman-Fried would not be able to “meaningfully participate” in being part of the defense.
Bankman-Fried has been “doing his best to remain focused during the trial,” his lawyers argued.
However, his lawyers contended that even with the proscribed medication, there is “no way of knowing at present whether the extended-release dose will be effective.”
The lawyers have also requested that the court pause the trial for one day if Bankman-Fried could not take the requested dosage of Adderall so that they could “find a solution that will work for the remainder of [the] trial.”
Cointelegraph reported:
Judge Kaplan first approved a motion allowing Bankman-Fried to access Adderall and anti-depressant medication while in prison on Aug. 14 after his lawyers said he has a history of major depressive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has been under psychiatric care since early 2019.
Shortly after the approval, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers complained about his lack of access to medication, saying in an Aug. 22 hearing that he had not received Adderall for the previous 11 days.
Bankman-Fried stands accused of seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering on his alleged use of FTX customer funds to cover the losses of his hedge fund, Alameda Research. He also allegedly used those funds to purchase real estate and cover other personal expenses. Bankman-Fried pled not guilty to all counts and faces up to 110 years in prison.
Breitbart News reported that Bankman-Fried blamed rival digital currency exchange Binance for a leak to the media to hurt FTX.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.