SBF’s lawyers want to quiz jurors on crypto, altruism and ADHD

Potential jurors in the upcoming criminal trial of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried could be asked their thoughts on crypto, effective altruism and attention-deficit disorder as his lawyers want to weed out those they consider unsuitable.

In court filings on Sep.11, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers and United States prosecutors separately filed their lists of proposed questions they wish to ask prospective jurors in the trial slated for Oct. 3.

Bankman-Fried wants to know if prospective jurors have invested in cryptocurrency, and if so, if they lost money or otherwise have a negative opinion on the industry.

In another question, the FTX co-founder is interested to know whether a juror would attribute a crypto firm’s failure to its owners, and if so, why.

Bankman-Fried also wants prospective jurors’ thoughts on “effective altruism” — a charitable philosophical movement which Bankman-Fried built his reputation on.

Other questions concern if jurors think it’s “wrong” to donate large sums of money to political candidates and lobbyists to further their own interests along with detailing any personal or professional experience with an ADHD-medicated person.

As part of standard procedure, Bankman-Fried intends to ask if prospective jurors have read about him, have formed an opinion on his guilt or innocence or if they’ve expressed an opinion about Bankman-Fried, FTX or Alameda Research.

U.S. prosecutors wish to ask prospective jurors on their familiarity with FTX and its affiliates, whether they or a friend or family member have invested or worked in the crypto space and what role they believe the U.S. government should play in regulating the industry.

Related: Sam Bankman-Fried is low on meds, living on $3 peanut butter in prison

Prosecutors also want to ask whether jurors have ever lost money from an investment due to fraudulent conduct.

On Sept. 12, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan denied Bankman-Fried’s request for temporary release ahead of his Oct. 3 trial, ruling that a poor internet connection inside the prison wasn’t a sufficient ground to grant his release.

Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to all seven fraud-related charges regarding his involvement in FTX’s collapse in November. He faces a separate criminal trial on additional charges in March next year.

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