Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried submitted a letter to Judge Louis Kaplan on Sunday asking the FTX founder to be allowed the medication prescribed in the ongoing fraud trial, saying he cannot concentrate without it.
Documents submitted by the defense state that Banman-Fried has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and was prescribed the drug Adderall to be taken throughout the day. But since the trial began two weeks ago, he has only been allowed to take the drug once in the morning before being taken to court.
“Mr. Bankman-Fried has been doing his best to stay focused during the trial for the past two weeks despite not having the prescribed dose of Adderall during trial hours,” the letter read. However, as we approach the defense case and the crucial decision of whether Mr. Banman-Fried will testify, the defense is increasingly concerned that Mr. Banman-Fried's access to Adderall will be overlooked. The standard he normally takes.”
The accused said that they tried to resolve the matter with the prison officials, but they did not get any response. Before the hearing continued, clients offered to give him an additional 12-hour dose of Adderall on Monday morning, but jail officials said there was no guarantee that it would be offered or that it would be effective.
“If the current proposal does not work, or if the extended release amount is not granted or fails to produce the desired results, we respectfully request that the hearing be adjourned for one day on Tuesday, October 17, to find a solution. Work for the remainder of the hearing,” the letter stated.
Failing that, the filing asked the court to order Bankuman-Fried's lawyers to produce the drugs in court on trial dates.
The filing comes as the Bankman-Fried conspiracy and wire fraud charges enter their third week. He was accused of causing the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX last year. If convicted, he faces up to 115 years in prison.
The fallen crypto mogul's drug addiction came at his first court appearance in the Bahamas last December, when he asked for permission to use a patch containing the over-the-counter drug since his arrest. In earlier written comments Banman-Fried planned to give to Congress, he also said he was taking a patch medication called MSAM to treat depression. It's unclear if Bankman-Fried is still taking or being prescribed Emsam.
In addition to being unable to get prescribed medication, Banman-Fried struggled to maintain his strict vegan diet while in prison, leaving him subsisting on bread, water and peanut butter.
Based on Sunday's filing and Monday's stay request, Judge Kaplan has limited time to review and rule on the drug availability request.
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