FTX Founder Testifies Outside Jury’s Presence

USA – Sam Bankman-Fried, Founder of the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, testified in his fraud trial on Thursday without the jury present so the judge overseeing the case can first decide what portions of his testimony are admissible.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan’s decision to hear the 31-year-old former billionaire outside the jury’s presence came after prosecutors finished presenting their case accusing Bankman-Fried of stealing billions of dollars from customers and the defense presented its first two witnesses.

The judge released the jurors for the rest of the day following a lunch break and instructed them to return on Friday morning.