Sam Bankman-Fried’s (SBF) lawyers are voicing grievances that the prison environment is impeding productivity in his discovery process, citing concerns such as internet speed and frequent interruptions.
“The Government conducted three internet speed tests at varying times throughout the day in the cellblock area,” the filing declared.
Prison Formalities Interrupting SBF’s Review Workflow
A recent court filing reports that interruptions have frequently disrupted SBF’s intensive discovery process, which he is carrying out in prison.
Recent reports suggest that SBF is feeling overwhelmed by the increasing volume of evidence against him. “The government cannot be allowed to dump millions of pages on the defense less than six weeks before trial,” his lawyers previously stated.
SBF can use an air-gapped laptop, which prevents connections to other devices, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays. Weekends are more restricted, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. However, his legal team is documenting several disruptions caused by prison staff.
One of his complaints is experiencing interruptions in the legal visiting room due to prison protocol. Prison staff requested that SBF return to his cell for a standard prisoner count. This took up roughly 7.5 hours of his time over three days. However, he contends that one of those days saw a 50% time loss due to the roll-call.
The filing notes,
“The defendant was informed by MDC staff that he had to leave the legal visiting room at 2:30 p.m. and return to his unit for the prisoner count, which deprived him of approximately 4.5 hours of additional review time.”
To learn more about the downfall of FTX, read BeInCrypto’s guide: FTX Collapse Explained: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Empire Fell
Recent Gripes About Lockup Conditions
SBF has previously lodged complaints about his prison experience since his incarceration on August 11.
On August 22, reports reveal that SBF complained about the prison’s “lack of food and medication” supply. He claims it is impeding his trial preparation. The lawyers pushed for SBF’s temporary release on weekdays.
They asserted this will enable him to better prepare for his trial. However, the judge denied the request.
In more recent news, SBF is allegedly planning to enlist seven expert witnesses in his upcoming trial. He allegedly has a budget to pay them up to $1,200 per hour.
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