Sam Bankman-Fried, the former crypto billionaire who was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 25 years in prison, has formally appealed his conviction and requested a new trial. In the 102-page appeal, the legal representatives of the FTX founder accused Judge Lewis Kaplan of being unfairly biased in the previous trial.

A Biased Judge?

Bankman-Fried, the former crypto billionaire who once made significant political donations, was convicted on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud by a New York jury last November for his fraudulent business practices with the now-collapsed FTX and its affiliates. The conviction was followed by a 25-year prison sentence in March by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York (SDNY).

At that time, the prosecutors sought a much heftier prison sentence, between 40 and 50 years, while the defence lawyers asked for a lighter sentence of 6.5 years. Notably, the 32-year-old crypto exchange founder maintained his innocence throughout.

“Sam Bankman-Fried was never presumed innocent,” the filing yesterday (Friday), submitted by his lawyer Alexandra Shapiro in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, noted. “He was presumed guilty by the judge who presided over his trial.”