NEW YORK | Convicted former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is not giving up the fight after being found guilty of seven counts of fraud.
“We respect the jury’s decision,” said Mark Cohen, lead counsel, in a statement. “But we are very disappointed with the result. Mr. Bankman-Fried maintains his innocence and will continue to vigorously fight the charges against him.”
Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, sat in the second row of the galley Thursday and tightly hugged each other through the reading of each of the counts.
As each, “guilty,” was read out loud, Bankman sank his head deeper and deeper into his lap, his face barely visible.
Fried had her arm around her husband and kept squeezing his shoulder, as did he to her.
Her jaw quivered and she pressed the palms of her hands to her cheeks as she listened to the verdict, staring directly at her son, eyes cast downward and frowning.
When Bankman-Fried initially got up to face the jury, both parents sank their heads down, with Bankman keeping his head down nearly the entire time.
After the verdict was read, Bankman-Fried appeared shell-shocked. He did not turn around to see his parents until he was close to the exit door and gave them a somber smile as his mother pounded her hand into her chest on her heart, and then sank her face into her husband’s shoulder.
