Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers Invoke FBI for Defense Boost

Lawyers representing Sam Bankman-Fried, the embattled crypto entrepreneur, have made a strategic move. They’re requesting FBI special agents Luke Booth and Kristin Allain to appear in court. This comes before Bankman-Fried himself is set to testify in court tomorrow. The defense team is spotlighting discrepancies in testimonies given by Gary Wang, Sam Bankman-Fried’s former co-founder, and Nishad Singh, the head of engineering. Documents suggest that their recent court statements don’t align with what they originally reported to the FBI. Consequently, the defense aims to introduce the initial FBI interviews into evidence.

Additionally, Wang and Singh previously entered guilty pleas related to the case. They’ve since collaborated with the government in its legal battle against Sam Bankman-Fried. However, the defense team noted several occasions where Wang and Singh contradicted their earlier testimonies or claimed not to remember them. This raises questions about their reliability as key witnesses.

Sam Bankman-Fried Lawyers Pinpoint Witness Testimony Flaws

Significantly, Wang had informed the FBI about a feature added to Alameda for market-making purposes. But in court, he mentioned other uses for that feature. Moreover, during certain instances in court, both Wang and Singh couldn’t recall uttering the exact words from their FBI interviews. The defense argues that Wang might be feeling external pressure. Hence, he might be downplaying explanations regarding special codebase features that favored Alameda and could exonerate Sam Bankman-Fried.

As for Singh, he initially described his memories from summer 2022 as “hazy” when discussing Alameda Research’s challenges. However, in court, he provided a detailed account of those events. This discrepancy, the defense asserts, may be due to Singh’s perceived need to back the government’s version of events.

Singh’s Property Views Shift in Court

Another intriguing detail is Singh’s change in stance regarding his property acquisition. He procured a $3.7 million house in the Bahamas shortly before FTX faced its downfall. Singh didn’t find the purchase problematic during the FBI interview. However, he painted the purchase negatively in court, calling it “egregious, unnecessary, and selfish.”

The defense believes such contradictions could weaken the credibility of Wang and Singh. This could bolster the argument that Bankman-Fried acted in good faith, challenging the prosecution’s core claims.

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