Prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a proposed set of jury instructions for former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial that is set to commence in October.
In a filing late on Monday in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York, prosecutors wrote 69 requests, including instructions with respect to seven of the charges he currently faces, and other factors like testimony from cooperating witnesses and audio and video recordings that have been admitted into evidence.
Over 100 pages, the prosecutors explained in detail the different counts against Bankman-Fried and the various elements needed to establish that he is liable for those charges.
The seven counts against Bankman-Fried correspond to wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, securities fraud, commodities fraud and money laundering. The government proposed how jurors should examine the evidence before them in forming their conclusions about whether Bankman-Fried is guilty on each count.
Although proposals with jury instructions are not uncommon in criminal trials such as this one, ultimately, Judge Lewis Kaplan who is overseeing the case will deliver the final instructions to the jury.
Bankman-Fried’s trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 1, where he will face the seven charges laid out in the government’s filing. He will also face a second trial in March 2024 on five additional counts that the government filed in a superseding indictment earlier this year.
Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to all charges. However, his inner circle and so-called co-conspirators Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang and Nishad Singh have all pleaded guilty and are cooperating with prosecutors in their case against the former FTX CEO.
