A letter purportedly sent by Sam Bankman-Freed from prison was actually sent entirely via FedEx from somewhere else, suggesting someone outside was impersonating him, federal prosecutors told a judge.
The document adds an unusual wrinkle to Bankman-Fried’s post-conviction battle. The FTX founder, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud and conspiracy, has been seeking a new trial at the Terminal Island Federal Correctional Facility in San Pedro, California.
Prosecutors said the suspect letter, which opened the case on March 16 but was sent from Palo Alto or Menlo Park, incorrectly labeled the prison as a state facility and had a printed “/s/” instead of an actual signature.
Prosecutors noted that Bureau of Prisons rules prohibit inmates from sending mail through private carriers such as FedEx.
Prosecutors said that, taken together, the discrepancies provided “reason” to suspect that the letter was sent by Bankman-Fried.
The government did not accuse the defendant or his associates of forging the document, but it showed the government was willing to challenge the reliability of the material he submitted to secure a new trial.
Bankman-Fried has repeatedly argued that he did not receive a fair trial and pointed to what he said was new evidence, including the subsequent recovery of client funds through FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings.
Appeal judges expressed skepticism about that argument, stressing that the focus of the case was how client funds were used and represented at the time, not whether creditors were subsequently compensated.
