• Sam Bankman-Fried’s defense asserts the necessity of his ADHD medication, Adderall, during trial hours.
• The defense has proposed options to ensure the FTX founder gets his medication, including adjourning the trial temporarily.

Medication Dilemma in the Spotlight of Bankman-Fried’s Fraud Trial

Legal representatives of FTX founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, have formally petitioned Judge Lewis Kaplan. The plea, submitted on Sunday, is an urgent request to ensure that Bankman-Fried can access his prescribed medication, Adderall, during the trial. The defense emphasizes that the absence of this crucial medication severely impairs his concentration due to his attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Since the inception of the trial two weeks prior, Bankman-Fried has been allowed to administer this ADHD medication just once daily, specifically before being ushered to court. His defense points out that,

“In the critical phases of the trial, especially the potential testimony of Mr. Bankman-Fried, his ability to focus is paramount. However, due to his limited access to Adderall, he hasn’t been operating at his usual cognitive capacity.”

Efforts to Resolve the Medication Hurdle

Despite attempts to confer with prison officials to rectify the situation, the defense has met with a wall of silence. They’ve suggested an alternative: to administer a prolonged 12-hour dose of Adderall on Monday morning, just before the trial’s continuation. Yet, uncertainties loom regarding the prison authorities’ compliance or the dose’s effectiveness.

Recognizing these potential hurdles, the defense’s correspondence elucidates,

“In the event our current medication proposal falls short—either due to non-provision of the extended dose or its inefficacy—we earnestly appeal for a one-day trial adjournment on Tuesday, October 17, to derive a viable solution for the rest of the trial.”

Should all else fail, the defense urges the court to sanction an order permitting Bankman-Fried’s attorneys to supply him with the medication at the courthouse during trial days.

Backdrop to the Medication Request

Bankman-Fried, now into the third week of his trial, faces allegations of conspiracy and wire fraud connected to the implosion of his crypto exchange, FTX, the previous year. If found guilty, he stares down a daunting sentence of up to 115 years.

It’s noteworthy that the crypto tycoon’s medication requirements were highlighted in his preliminary court appearance in the Bahamas. Therein, he had sought permission for a medication patch. Moreover, it’s ambiguous whether he continues to use or is still prescribed the antidepressant, Emsam.

Beyond medication constraints, Bankman-Fried, a staunch vegan, has encountered challenges adhering to his dietary principles in custody. His current diet is severely restricted to bread, water, and peanut butter.

Given the urgency of the defense’s Sunday petition, the ball now lies in Judge Kaplan’s court to decide on the medication access plea.