Is Bankman-Fried's Trial Doomed? DOJ Blocks Expert Witnesses In FTX Founder's Case

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has moved to prevent all seven expert witnesses lined up for Sam Bankman-Fried from giving their testimonies in court.

The DOJ has raised concerns about the qualifications and disclosures of these experts, stating that many of them have failed to adequately present their opinions or provide a solid foundation for them, as mandated by the Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 16.

"Where the defendant does disclose the expert’s opinions, the opinions are inappropriate subjects for expert testimony, lack a reliable methodology or basis in facts and data, or are irrelevant, unfairly prejudicial, and confusing to the jury," the department stated.

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The DOJ also believes that the insights from these experts might overstep the boundaries of the court and jury's roles, urging the court to use its discretion to block such testimonies.

The seven experts in question are Lawrence Akka, Thomas Bishop, Brian Kim, Joseph Pimbley, Bradley Smith, Peter Vinella, and Andrew Di Wu, all of whom have legal backgrounds.

Bankman-Fried's legal team has revealed that the DOJ introduced a substantial amount of new evidence against him on Aug. 25, amounting to four million pages, just a short time before his trial set for Oct. 3.

Previously, on Aug. 8, the DOJ indicated its intention to bring forward seven charges against Bankman-Fried in the October proceedings, one of which pertains to an alleged illegal campaign finance operation that will be used to support a wire fraud charge.

In light of the recent release of a vast number of documents by the DOJ, Bankman-Fried's attorneys are advocating for a temporary release from custody, arguing that the conditions provided don't allow adequate preparation for the imminent trial.

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