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FTX Exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) recently became the center of attention, as he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined over $11 billion for seven counts of wire fraud by a US federal district court on March 28th. The judge also recommended placing SBF in a prison near the San Francisco Bay Area.
Shortly after his sentencing, SBF granted his first interview to ABC News. From the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, he responded to reporters' questions via email. He stated, "I never thought what I was doing was illegal, but I tried to hold myself to a high standard, and of course, I didn't meet that standard." When Judge Lewis Kaplan handed down the sentence, he harshly criticized the defendant for not expressing any remorse for the heinous crimes committed. However, SBF expressed regret, saying, "I heard and saw the despair, frustration, and betrayal of thousands of customers who deserved full restitution."
SBF also acknowledged the pain felt by his colleagues, as he squandered everything they had worked for. He also recognized the pain experienced by the charitable organizations he supported, as his sponsorship ended up damaging their reputations. As for plans for an appeal, SBF stated that his defense team intends to appeal later this year, citing that certain trial testimonies "severely misrepresented what actually happened," and his defense team was "not allowed to present crucial evidence or provide important witnesses." All of this underscores the complexity of the case and the challenges ahead for SBF. |
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