Day 18 of Sam Bankman Trial: Judge Delivers Jury Instructions and Prosecutor’s Rebuke

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“Each of those witnesses got on that stand and did what they were told to do from day one: to tell the truth,” Sassoon asserted. “The cooperator testimony tells you flat out that the defendant oversaw the stealing of customer funds, that he knew it was wrong, that he lied about it, and he took steps to hide it.”

Sassoon went further, imploring jurors not to buy into Bankman-Fried’s assertion that his failure to establish proper risk management policies at FTX was merely an oversight. She argued that this was further proof of his guilt.

“If you’re embezzling customer money…of course, you’re not going to hire a chief risk officer,” Sassoon emphasized. “You can’t go into a jewelry store, steal a diamond necklace, and then say there was no security guard. The defendant knew what he was doing was wrong, and that’s why he never hired a chief risk officer.”

The Verdict Looms

With the court now taking a brief respite, all eyes are on the imminent reading of lengthy legal instructions by Judge Kaplan, a process anticipated to last up to two hours. Once the gavel falls, the jury will commence their deliberations, holding the fate of Sam Bankman-Fried in their hands.