Breaking: FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to testify in criminal trial

Mark Cohen, lead attorney for the defense in United States v Sam Bankman-Fried, said his client will take the stand and testify at a New York federal courthouse during the fraud trial for FTX’s collapse.

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is one of four witnesses set to testify under oath sometime between late October and mid-November of 2023. This will come after federal prosecutors call one more witness, FBI special agent Mark Troyano according to InnerCityPress.

The agent will reportedly give expert analysis on chat log and auto-delete strategies employed by Bankman-Fried while he held the reigns at his crypto exchange.

Cohen’s remarks to Senior District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who presides over the case, suggest that Bankman-Fried could testify on Oct. 26 through to Oct. 27. Accounts given by the former FTX CEO would determine cross-examination from the prosecutor, Assistant United States Attorney Nicolas Roos noted.

The defense will also call financial consultant Joseph Pimbley, a lawyer from the Bahamas, and one other individual as Bankman-Fried’s witnesses. Notably, Peter Easton who provided prosecutors with forensic analysis of FTX’s operations, testified that the founder oversaw at least $9.3 billion in misappropriated customer funds.