American judge rejects SBF's new trial motion, calling his request "highly conspiratorial"

Mars Finance News: A U.S. District Judge in the U.S., Lewis Kaplan, denied former FTX CEO SBF’s request for a retrial and sharply criticized the so-called new evidence he put forward as baseless and “highly conspiratorial.” In a court order issued on Tuesday, the judge noted that SBF’s claims—that FTX was actually solvent, that the United States Department of Justice withheld information, and that witnesses did not dare to testify because of threats from the government—are completely at odds with the record. SBF had originally accused former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame and former head of data science Daniel Chapsky of not appearing out of fear, but the judge emphasized that SBF could have subpoenaed or compelled them to testify and yet took no action. In November 2023, SBF was found guilty on all seven counts of fraud by a New York jury, and was subsequently sentenced to 25 years in prison. Last week, he voluntarily withdrew his motion for a new trial, saying he could not obtain a “fair hearing” from Judge Kaplan, but the appeal is still ongoing.

The judge also criticized SBF for swaying public opinion through interviews, saying that the so-called new facts had already been raised multiple times. SBF had sought a pardon from Trump, but Trump has also made it clear that he has no such plans.