‘Bread And Water’: Bankman-Fried Denied Vegan Meals, Adderall — And Is Running Out Of Anti-Depressant

FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who was tossed in pre-trial detention until his Oct. 2 trial after he showed a journalist from the NY Times private writings from his ex-girlfriend and business partner, Caroline Ellison, and used a VPN in violation of a previous order not to, has been denied vegan meals and adderall, and has been subsisting on ‘bread and water,’ like many crypto bros who trusted their life savings to FTX before SBF and pals allegedly used those funds to try and stave off oblivion.

Appearing before a Manhattan federal court on Tuesday to plead for a narrower indictment on securities fraud, wire fraud and other charges, attorneys for the embattled 31-year-old, who was never going to do well in prison, says he’s “literally subsisting on bread and water” and a scant amount of peanut butter.

The hearing was the first since a judge revoked SBF’s $250 million bail, tossing him into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

SBF lawyer Mark Cohen says that the FTX founder hasn’t been given any Adderall since he was jailed, and has only a few doses left of antidepressant, Emsam. Cohen also argued that the legal team was struggling to cobble together SBF’s defense without access to their client.

At Tuesday’s hearing, his lawyers said the jail’s failure to provide him with the medication Adderall to treat attention deficit hyperactive disorder – despite a court order for the facility to do so – and serve him vegan food would hinder his ability to participate in preparing his defense case. -Reuters

SBF was led into court wearing leg restraints and a beige-colored uniform to appear in front of US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn, where he pleaded “Not guilty” to seven new criminal charges related to making some $100 million in political campaign contributions using stolen customer funds, federal prosecutors allege, after dropping similar charges related to violating US campaign finance laws because the Bahamas threw a fit and ‘did not intend to extradite the defendant on the campaign contributions count.’

According to Christian Everdell, another lawyer for the former billionaire, SBF hasn’t been allowed to review any of the millions of pages of evidence against him, a violation of his Sixth Amendment right to counsel.

His lawyers also rejected a plan to allow SBF to use a laptop in the cell block of the courthouse to review the evidence with his lawyers two days a week from 9am to 3pm, which Everdell said was inadequate.

“It means he cannot help prepare his defense,” he said.

Bankman entered his ‘Not guilty’ plea in response to seven counts of fraud and money laundering contained in a revised US indictment. According to prosecutors, SBF’s alleged fraud scheme cost customers and investors billions of dollars.

The case is US v. Bankman-Fried, 22-cr-673, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).