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Sam Bankman-Fried Seeks New Trial While Serving 25-Year Sentence

By  |  February 10, 2026
Sam Bankman-Fried Seeks New Trial While Serving 25-Year Sentence

Sam Bankman-Fried, the co-founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has filed a request for a new trial as he continues serving a 25-year prison sentence for fraud linked to the platform’s collapse. According to Bloomberg, the motion argues that new witness testimony could undermine the prosecution’s case and calls into question the fairness of his original trial.

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    The filing, dated Feb. 5 and entered into the docket Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, was submitted by Bankman-Fried himself. He filed the motion pro se, meaning he is representing himself without an attorney. Per to Bloomberg, the submission invokes Rule 33 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure as well as the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution. The request is separate from his formal appeal of the 2023 conviction.

    Rule 33 permits a federal court to order a new trial “if the interest of justice so requires.” It is generally used in cases involving newly discovered evidence, claims of legal mistakes during proceedings, or alleged violations of constitutional rights. In his filing, Bankman-Fried contends that his constitutional right to a fair trial was breached.

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    The motion was submitted from prison and includes a memorandum of law, a declaration, and a cover letter dated February 5, 2026. The letter was signed by Barbara H. Fried, a Saunders Professor of Law Emerita at Stanford Law School and Bankman-Fried’s mother. She stated that she was authorized to submit the materials on his behalf because of his incarceration, according to Bloomberg.

    Read more: FTX Sues Binance Over Alleged $1.8 Billion Fraudulent Transfers

    The filing also contains an exhibit featuring a declaration from Daniel Chapsky, the former head of data science at FTX.US. Chapsky had previously submitted a supporting letter during Bankman-Fried’s sentencing proceedings in 2024.

    Bankman-Fried was convicted in November 2023 on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy tied to the dramatic failure of FTX. Once regarded as one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, FTX collapsed in November 2022 after it was revealed that billions of dollars in customer funds had been diverted to Alameda Research, a related trading firm, for speculative investments and political donations, per to Bloomberg.

    The new trial request is procedurally distinct from Bankman-Fried’s ongoing appeal before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. That appeal, argued in November 2025 and still pending, centers on issues including the fairness of the trial, limitations on certain evidence, and claims of judicial bias. According to Bloomberg, the Rule 33 motion does not replace the appeal but represents a separate legal avenue aimed at overturning the conviction.

    Source: Bloomberg