The defense said that Bankman-Fried has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Sam Bankman-Fried’s attorneys submitted a letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan on Sunday requesting that the FTX founder be allowed access to his prescription medications during his ongoing fraud trial, saying he cannot concentrate without them.
The defense filing said Bankman-Fried has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and was prescribed the medication Adderall to take throughout the day. However, since the start of his trial two weeks ago, he has only been allowed to take the drug once early in the morning before being transported to court.
“Mr. Bankman-Fried has done his best to remain focused throughout trial for the past two weeks, despite not having received the prescribed dose of Adderall during the hours of the trial,” the letter said.
“However, as we approach the defense case and the critical decision of whether Mr. Bankman-Fried will testify, the defense has growing concerns that, due to Mr. Bankman-Fried’s lack of access to Adderall, he hasn’t been able to concentrate at the level he normally would.” Defense attorneys said they tried to resolve the issue with prison officials but received no response.
Request Details
They proposed that their client be given an extended 12-hour dose of Adderall on Monday morning before the trial resumes, but noted there is no guarantee that corrections officials will provide it or that it will be effective.
“If the current proposal does not work,” either because the extended-release dose is not provided or because it does not have the desired effect, we respectfully request that the trial be postponed for one day on Tuesday, October 17 to find a solution that will work during the rest of the trial.” Otherwise, the filing asks the court to issue an order to allow Bankman-Fried’s attorneys to provide him with the medication in court on the days of the trial.
It is worth noting that the attorneys who represented Bankman-Fried during his initial detention in the Bahamas in December 2022 reported similar medical requirements, saying at the time that Bankman-Fried had not been taking certain medication while in jail. Upon extradition to the United States, Bankman-Fried was released on $250 million bail and likely had access to medical care while largely confined to his parents’ home in California.
Medication Access Request to Be Granted?
The filing comes as Bankman-Fried’s trial on conspiracy and wire fraud charges enters its third week. He is being prosecuted for the collapse of his FTX cryptocurrency exchange last year, and faces up to 115 years in prison if convicted.
The disgraced cryptocurrency mogul’s need for medication arose during his initial court appearance in the Bahamas last December, when he requested permission to apply a patch containing prescription medication that he had not had since his arrest.
Previously written comments Bankman-Fried had planned to give to Congress also mentioned that he takes a patch called Emsam to treat depression. It is unclear whether Bankman-Fried still takes or is prescribed Emsam.
In addition to not being able to access prescription medications, Bankman-Fried has also struggled to maintain his strict vegan diet while in custody, which limited him to bread, water and peanut butter. Given Sunday’s filing and his request for accommodations on Monday, Judge Kaplan has limited time to review and possibly grant the medication access request.
By Audy Castaneda
