The U.S. attorney sees no reason for potential jurors to discuss, among other topics, effective altruism or ADHD before trying SBF.
The United States government responded on September 15 to queries proposed by the defense to be posed to potential jurors during the selection process for the case against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.
In connection with the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange, he faces seven charges of fraud and money laundering that could place him in prison for decades. The parties submitted their proposed questions to the court on September 11 and showed drastically different standards for selection.
In a letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams objected to four of the defense’s proposed 14 voir dire inquiries. The procedure of questioning potential jurors is known as voir dire. Williams authored:
“The defendant’s proposed voir dire contains numerous unnecessary and time-consuming questions, often soliciting open-ended discussion, as well as questions that are repetitive, prejudicial, and argumentative.”
Williams expressly objects to queries about pretrial publicity, the effective altruism philosophical movement, political donations and lobbying, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The legal foundation for the pretrial publicity section is shaky, and concerns about effective altruism “are a thinly veiled attempt to advance a defense narrative.” Williams wrote that questions about political donations are irrelevant, and questions about ADHD are irrelevant and prejudicial. Bankman-Fried is reportedly affected by ADHD.
SBF's jury selection delayed by one day to Oct 3. pic.twitter.com/twfb5b69Q9
— Amy Castor (@ahcastor) September 13, 2023In contrast, the government’s inquiries are “standard, neutral, and appropriate,” wrote Williams. Both parties propose questioning prospective jurors about their opinions on cryptocurrencies. Included among the defense questions:
“If a company involved in the cryptocurrency industry or the financial industry fails, do you feel that only the owners of the company must be to blame?”
Bankman-Fried has entered a not-guilty plea to the offenses brought against him. His trial will commence on October 3 in New York.
