Lawyers say Sam Bankman-Fried needs more Adderall to focus during the trial

Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of FTX, asked a US judge to take Adderall off him for an extended period of time, saying he found it difficult to concentrate properly during the trial.

In an Oct. 15 letter to New York District Judge Louis Kaplan, Bankman-Fried's attorneys asked if he could take a “12-hour extended-release 20mg dose of Adderall” before his Oct. 16 arraignment.

The attorneys added that Banman-Fried's failure to take the prescribed stimulant during trial hours meant he was “unable to concentrate at the level he normally does.”

According to the Bankman-Fried defense case and the decision on witness access, the attorneys are concerned that the FTX founder may not be able to “intentionally engage” in presenting the drug-free defense.

The letter added that the former FTX CEO “has been doing his best to stay focused during the trial period” despite the lack of medication during the trial hours.

Even if Bankman-Fried took the requested medication, “there is currently no way to know whether the extended-release dosage will be effective,” the attorneys said.

They asked the court to adjourn the trial for one day – Tuesday, October 17 – if Bankman-Fried could not take the extended-release dose or the drug did not work “for the remaining [the] experiment”

Alternatively, the attorneys asked Judge Kaplan to allow them to present the Adderall prescription to Bankman-Fried in district court during the trial.

The attorneys said they tried to resolve the matter with the Bureau of Prisons, but five attempts to contact the BOP by email and phone between Oct. 5 and Oct. 12 went unanswered.

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Judge Kaplan originally approved a request on Aug. 14 to allow Banman-Fried access to Adderall and anti-depressant medications while in custody, after attorneys said he had a history of major depressive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and had been under psychiatric care since early 2019.

Shortly after the approval, Bankuman-Fried's attorneys complained about the lack of supply of the drug, saying at the Aug. 22 hearing that he had not received Adderall for the past 11 days.

Bankuman-Fried's criminal trial is entering its third week. Earlier, the court heard testimony from former Alameda Research CEO and Bankman-Fried's ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison, FTX co-founder Gary Wang and former FTX developer Adam Yedidia.

Bankman Fried pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence during the trial.

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