Lawyers for Sam Bankman Fried have entered a not-guilty plea for five additional charges since his December 2022 arraignment, including allegations of bribery.
Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to four charges added as part of a superseding indictment in February, and one charge added on March 28 related to the former CEO allegedly bribing a Chinese government official. Other charges include conspiracy counts related to fraud as well as those for wire fraud and securities fraud during his time at FTX.
Mark Cohen, the attorney representing Bankman-Fried in the criminal case, reportedly argued that though SBF had entered a not guilty plea, there was no acknowledgement that the court had the authority to bring the charges against him. The latest charge alleged that SBF was involved in transferring “at least approximately $40 million in cryptocurrency intended for the benefit of one or more Chinese government officials” intended to facilitate transactions tied to Alameda Research.
Bankman-Fried has been free on bail since being turned over to U.S. custody from the Bahamas in December, largely confined to his parents’ California home. A federal judge recently amended his bail conditions to prohibit the use of any smartphone with internet access.
