Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyer says FTX fraud attempt was ‘almost impossible to win’: Report

The lawyer responsible for Sam Bankman-Fried's criminal trial defense admitted the case was “almost impossible” to win from the start.

In a one-on-one interview with Bloomberg, Stanford Law School professor David Mills explained how Bankman-Fried's refusal to follow through on his recommendations and the incriminating testimony of his former partners had the FTX founder on the ropes.

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“I thought it was almost impossible to win with three or four founders all saying you did it,” Mills told the publication.

Although they all lie through their teeth, it is very difficult to win such a case.

The report also details how Mills advised SBF's legal defense to believe the allegations made by witnesses and state prosecutors to convince Bankuman-Fried that he intended to save the company from bankruptcy.

“I thought there was a great story there. But he cannot tell the story that all these people are lying. They got five people saying one thing and one person saying something else. Well, you have no shot, zero,” Mills said.

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A veteran criminal lawyer, businessman and academic described Banman-Fried as “the worst person I've ever seen on cross-examination”, as the former FTX CEO made several incriminating statements and was eventually found guilty. All seven charges.

Mills said he agreed to provide his knowledge to Bankman-Fried's defense at the behest of FTX CEO Parents. Mills was close friends with Joseph Bankman and Barbara Freed, and he said that his friendship and passion for criminal law were the reasons for his involvement.

Meanwhile, the outcome of the case and the eventual prison term of Bankman-Fried may hit too close to home, with Mills admitting that he doesn't take cases involving intimate relationships:

“Again, I'm not going to involve myself emotionally on a very deeply personal level in a case like this.”

Bankman-Fried was found guilty of two felony counts.

The 31-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2024 by New York Judge Louis Kaplan, who is presiding over the high-profile case. Kaplan has the final say in Bankman-Fried's sentencing process, while state prosecutors make recommendations.

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