Sam Bankman-Fried is back in court, avoiding the conflict of interest of lawyers

Former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried returned to court for the first time since his conviction to resolve potential conflicts of interest with his attorneys.

According to a Feb. 21 report from Inner City Press, Banman-Fried waived his right to conflict-free legal representation with attorneys Mark Mucasey and Torey Young. The two attorneys filed a notice to appear with SBF and former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky, who filed a similar motion at the Feb. 20 hearing.

The trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York was one of Banman-Fried's first appearances outside of prison when a jury indicted the former FTX CEO on seven felony charges in November 2023. SBF's life behind bars has largely been out of the media spotlight, but on February 19, photos emerged showing the former FTX CEO with other inmates.

According to Inner City Press, Mukasey and Young will continue to represent SBF and Mashinsky. Conversely, lawyers Christian Everdale and Mark Cohen, who represented the former FTX CEO at the October 2023 trial, will withdraw from the race. Bankman-Fried is scheduled to appear before Judge Louis Kaplan on March 28.

Related: What's next for ‘crypto king' Sam Bankman-Fried?

Bankman-Fried, once considered by many to be the ‘golden boy' of the crypto space, stepped down as CEO of FTX in November 2022. The company sued for bankruptcy, and SBF was arrested until it was transferred to the Bahamas. USA where he was charged and convicted of fraud in connection with the handling of funds between FTX and Alameda Research.

After the October 2023 trial, SBF is expected to face five additional criminal charges, initially in March. Reports from December suggested that prosecutors, citing the public interest, planned not to proceed with the second trial. Bankuman-Freed's defense team is expected to file sentencing comments by Feb. 27.

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