The judge denied the SBF’s request on the eve of the sentencing hearing.

Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried's request to extend the sentencing hearing by four to six weeks. The motion was filed on December 20th, with a presentence hearing scheduled for December 21st, as well as a sentencing hearing currently scheduled for March 28th, 2024.

The request was made by Mark Cohen, a lawyer at Cohen & Grazer, in a letter to the judge presiding over the Bankman-Fried trial in the United States District Court in Southern New York. Cohen said the defense wants more time to prepare for the interview.

Additionally, the release of the presentence investigation report is scheduled for January 5, 2024 and February 2, 2024, but the government has not yet announced whether it will proceed with a second trial on the reduced charges against Bankman-Fried. Banman-Fried is facing five charges that were not part of the original charge that led to his extradition from the Bahamas.

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If the trial on the cut-off charges goes ahead, it will be March 11, 2024, which could result in a separate investigative report and sentencing hearing, Cohen said.

“In the interest of fairness and efficiency, the court must consider relevant conduct at one sentencing hearing at a time.”

“The defense has contacted the government to get the permit but has yet to hear back,” Cohen added. He also pointed out that it was Bankuman-Fried's first request for the hearing to be postponed.

Kaplan did not allow any changes to the schedule. The defense did not object to the sentencing hearing, Kaplan noted, and Bankman-Fried already received an extension to make sentencing submissions.

If the government chooses to continue the trial in the adjourned case, Bankman-Fried can file a new motion for a new date, the judge said.

Bankman-Fried pleaded guilty on November 7 to seven counts – two counts of wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of securities fraud, one count of securities fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering conspiracy. Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintained his innocence after the jury's verdict.

Magazine: Sam Bankman-Fried's Life in Prison, Tornado Cash Chaos, and the $3B BTC Whale: Hodler's Digest, August 20-26