What’s more, Bankman-Fried has done plenty of talking: to reporters, to investors and to author Michael Lewis, who followed him around at critical points of the FTX meltdown for a book on the crypto mogul. If he deviates from things he’s said in the past, the jury will hear about it, from prosecutors. RECOMMENDED VIDEO “It just seems to me, if he testifies it’s a Hail Mary,” Adams said. Some of Bankman-Fried’s tweets and text messages in group chats are already being used as evidence against him in trial. It’s unusual for white-collar defendants to testify, but not unheard of. Recent examples include former Theranos Inc. CEO Elizabeth Holmes and Brijesh Goel, a former Goldman Sachs banker, both of whom were convicted after taking the stand. Holmes was found guilty of fraud in 2022 and Goel was convicted of insider trading in June. Holmes, who’s serving an 11-year sentence, is appealing. Goel will be sentenced Nov. 1. Wang and Ellison both admitted, at the start of their testimony, that they had committed a multi-billion-dollar fraud, telling jurors that Bankman-Fried directed him to alter the cryptocurrency exchange’s code so that Alameda was able to draw a $65 billion line of credit. Later, when FTX was on the cusp of bankruptcy, Wang testified that a reassuring tweet by Bankman-Fried was a lie.
SBF lawyers say FTX co-founder may need Adderall to testify
