Sam Bankman-Fried On The Brink: Emotional Courtroom Awaits Verdict In Billion-Dollar Fraud Trial

Defense attorney Mark S. Cohen's closing remarks left Sam Bankman-Fried on the verge of tears at his fraud trial late Wednesday.

Cohen appealed to the jury that Bankman-Fried acted in good faith in his entire operations at FTX and Alameda Research and thus should not be convicted of fraud, CoinDesk reported. In his words, it was “real-world miscommunications," "mistakes" and "delays” that led to the crypto company’s downfall.

The ongoing trial is nearing its end and is poised for jury deliberations ahead of Benzinga’s Future Of Digital Assets Event in New York scheduled on Nov.14. Attend and learn more about how the entire FTX collapse happened and the legal loopholes. The gathering is seen as pivotal for the digital assets community. The event will spotlight the latest trends, innovations, and challenges in the digital asset realm.

In the final moments of his defense’s closing arguments, Bankman-Fried was stiffly seated with a straight back, without his usual jitters. He was also gazing at his parents, blinking rapidly, and gulping in lots of water, according to CoinDesk.

Also Read: Bankman-Fried's Defense Hits Back: He Is Not A Monster, Making Mistakes Is Not A Crime

His parent, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, seated a few rows back in the courtroom. When Bankman-Fried walked out of the courtroom after the closing remarks, his mother uncrossed her crossed arms, palmed her heart, and then sunk her face into her hands.

While Cohen’s style was emotional, the opposing counterpart, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Roos used an imposing frame to pose the criminal fraud allegations, CoinDesk reported.

Deliberations by the jury are expected to commence on Thursday afternoon.

Read More: Bankman-Fried Thought He Could Cheat People And Get Away With It: Assistant US Attorney Nicolas Roos' Closing Argument

During the trial, Nishad Singh, the former head of engineering at FTX, in his testimony said that in the final days of FTX, his mental state was suicidal, and the feeling remained for some time, Financial Times reported. He said, “I was blindsided and horrified... five years of blood, sweat, and tears from me and so many employees, driving towards something that I thought was a beautiful force for good, had turned out to be so evil.”

Meanwhile, in her emotional testimony, SBF’s ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison described the final days of FTX and Alameda as “overall the worst week of my life,” CBS News reported. She felt bad for all the people who were harmed, as there was not enough money left for all of FTX's customers and Alameda's lenders.

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