US prosecutors said they do not plan to conduct a second trial against Sam Bankman-Fried, who was convicted last month of stealing from customers of his now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange.
In a letter filed on Friday night in federal court in Manhattan, New York, prosecutors said the “strong public interest” in a prompt resolution of their case against the 31-year-old former billionaire outweighed the benefits of a second trial.
Prosecutors said that interest “weighs particularly heavily here”, given that Mr Bankman-Fried's scheduled March 28, 2024, sentencing is likely to include orders of forfeiture and restitution for victims of his crimes.
Jurors on November 2 convicted Mr Bankman-Fried on all seven fraud and conspiracy counts he faced. Prosecutors had accused him of looting $8 billion from FTX customers out of sheer greed.
Lawyers for Mr Bankman-Fried declined to comment.
He had faced six additional charges that had been severed from his first trial, including campaign finance violations, conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.
He had been extradited in December 2022 from the Bahamas, where FTX was based, to face the seven earlier charges.
The Bahamas has yet to grant its consent for a trial on the remaining charges, however, leaving the timetable uncertain, prosecutors said.
Mr Bankman-Fried's verdict came nearly one year after FTX filed for bankruptcy, erasing his once-$26 billion personal fortune in one of the fastest collapses of a major participant in US financial markets.
He could face decades in prison when he is sentenced by US District judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan.
Prosecutors said much of the evidence that could be offered at a second trial was presented at the first trial.
They also said a second trial would not affect how much time Bankman-Fried could face in prison under recommended federal guidelines, because Mr Kaplan could consider all of Bankman-Fried's conduct when sentencing him for the counts on which he was convicted.
Mr Bankman-Fried is expected to appeal against his conviction.
He testified at trial that he made mistakes running FTX, including by not creating a team to oversee risk management, but did not steal customer funds.
Mr Bankman-Fried also said he thought the borrowing of money from FTX by his crypto-focused hedge fund Alameda Research was permissible, and that he did not realise how precarious their finances had become until shortly before both collapsed.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate has been jailed since August, when Mr Kaplan revoked his bail after concluding that he had likely tampered with prospective trial witnesses.
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Former FTX chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried arrives on the day of his hearing at Manhattan federal court in New York. Reuters -
Mr Bankman-Fried faces fraud charges over the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange. AP -
Mr Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to charges that he cheated investors and looted customer deposits on his cryptocurrency trading platform. EPA -
Mr Bankman-Fried is facing federal charges that he illegally used money from investors for personal gain. Reuters -
The FTX Group has installed a new chief executive as Mr Bankman-Fried deals with his legal challenges. Reuters -
Mr Bankman-Fried was extradited to the US from the Bahamas in December. AP -
The FTX Group has filed for bankruptcy and has begun an 'orderly process to review and monetise assets for the benefit of all global stakeholders'. AFP -
Mr Bankman-Fried was arrested on December 13, 2022, in the Bahamas after being served with several US criminal charges. AFP -
Mr Bankman-Fried lost much of his wealth in the FTX collapse. AP -
The US accuses Mr Bankman-Fried of committing one of the biggest financial frauds in history. Reuters -
Mr Bankman-Fried, seen here in February 2021, has testified on Capitol Hill about cryptocurrency policy. AFP
