Disgraced FTX founder and crypto scammer Sam Bankman-Fried has been denied vegan-friendly food while he waits for trial in prison after he pleaded not guilty to multiple charges relating to the collapse of his cryptocurrency company.
During a Manhattan federal court hearing on Tuesday, Sam Bankman-Fried attorneys said the Metropolitan Detention Center hadn’t given their client his medication for his ADHD, and he is surviving on water and bread alone due to not having access to vegan food.
“Your Honor, that’s outrageous and needs to be remedied,” Attorney Mark Cohen told a Manhattan federal judge, AP reported.
Cohen said his client was “being denied medication to focus” for his upcoming trial.
Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn said she would consider accommodating Bankman-Fried’s dietary restrictions and medical needs.
“I’m reasonably confident they provide vegetarian options,” Netburn said.
“A vegan diet may not be available, but I assume a vegetarian is.”
Attorney Christian Everdell told the judge that his client was also being denied the right “to effectively prepare for his defense” with only getting two days per week to review millions of pages of evidence.
Bankman-Fried’s FTX crypto exchange filed for bankruptcy after collapsing earlier this year after users learned the company was intertwined with sister firm Alameda Research.
The companies were controlled by Bankman-Fried and other young business leaders from a luxury penthouses in the Bahamas.
SBF led not guilty in January to eight charges, including:
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
- Conspiracy to commit securities fraud
- Conspiracy to commit money laundering
He was also hit with four additional charges, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transfer business.
SBF was also accused of using over a hundred million stolen dollars to conduct “a wide-ranging political influence operation,” court filings revealed.
Bankman-Fried donated nearly $40 million to Democratic nominees and political action committees ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
He was also the second-largest donor to the 2020 Biden presidential campaign and was even granted four meetings at the White House.
Bankman-Fried was jailed earlier this month after a judge revoked his bail for tampering with witnesses.
READ: Celebrities SILENT after Taking FTX Cash as Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested in Bahamas
Sucks Tobe him.
if it were up to me i would release him in the general public side of the jail. let everyone know hes upset not receiving a vegan menu. this is the problem with elites kids, think they walk on water right AOC?
He needs to cut down on the avocados anyway.
SBF is the fattest Vegan I have ever seen. I know more than a couple of vegetarians and they are thin as rails.