The criminal trial of Sam Bankman-Fried will proceed as scheduled, despite the request from his attorneys for an adjournment due to his limited access to prescribed medication.
In a late-night appeal to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan on Sunday, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers asked that he be allowed to take his prescribed 12-hour extended-release 20mg dose of Adderall before going to the courthouse for the trial. They argued that without the medication, the defendant’s performance in the trial could be compromised, potentially resulting in a life sentence.
Bankman-Fried’s lawyer, Mark Cohen, wrote in a letter to Kaplan that his client has been struggling to concentrate without his medication during the trial. Despite this, Bankman-Fried has been making an effort to remain focused for the past two weeks.
In response to the request, Judge Kaplan informed the lawyers that the requested extended-release Adderall would not be available until Thursday. He expressed that he had not observed any issues with Bankman-Fried in court and intended to proceed with the trial as planned. However, he acknowledged that he was not a medical professional and had not received any updated medical opinions on the matter.
The defense requested an adjournment until Thursday but was denied. Consequently, the trial will continue with the cross-examination of former FTX executive Nishad Singh on Tuesday morning.
Cohen stated that Bankman-Fried’s decision on whether to testify depended on his access to the medication used to treat ADHD.
Bankman-Fried has been trying to gain access to his medication since being remanded to custody in August. Despite cooperation from the government, his attempts have been unsuccessful.
The defense has also attempted to resolve the issue with the Bureau of Prisons but has yet to receive a response. If Bankman-Fried is still unable to obtain his prescriptions or if the medication is ineffective on Monday, the defense requested that the court adjourn on Tuesday to find a solution.
A previous request for medications in August included a letter from Bankman-Fried’s psychiatrist, George Lerner, who has been treating him since February 2019. Lerner confirmed Bankman-Fried’s history of Major Depressive Disorder and ADHD.
Lerner mentioned in his letter that Bankman-Fried had tried alternative antidepressants without success. Additionally, when Bankman-Fried did not have access to the Emsam patch, he exhibited symptoms of depression.
Lerner cautioned the judge that without his medication, Bankman-Fried’s mental health would deteriorate, severely impacting his ability to assist in his own defense.
It’s worth noting that there has been a national shortage of Adderall, the commonly used medication for ADHD, for almost a year. The FDA has urged drug manufacturers to increase production.
— CNBC’s Dawn Giel contributed to this report
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
