Mama’s Boy? Sam Bankman-Fried, Represented By His Mother, Files For New Trial In FTX Implosion Case

Sam Bankman-Fried has renewed his effort to overturn his FTX fraud conviction, filing a request for a new trial in federal court through a motion submitted by his mother in New York, according to Coindesk and Yahoo News. 

The former crypto exchange chief, now serving a 25-year prison sentence, argues that recently uncovered evidence and missing testimony from earlier proceedings justify reopening his case. The filing points in part to the absence of former FTX executive Ryan Salame, who later faced his own criminal charges. Salame had previously said he believed his cooperation with prosecutors would protect his wife, Michelle Bond, who was later charged over alleged illegal campaign donations.

The 35-page request was submitted as a “pro se” motion, meaning Bankman-Fried is currently acting as his own attorney.

At the same time, he has launched a renewed public campaign on X, using posts to support his push for a retrial. In those messages, he portrays himself as a victim of politically driven “lawfare,” accusing prosecutors and judges of bias and retaliation against FTX executives. Independent reviews, however, have found that several of his claims conflict with court records.

Among them, Bankman-Fried has suggested that both he and former President Donald Trump were placed under comparable gag orders. Court documents show the situations were different: Trump’s restrictions stemmed from separate cases, while Bankman-Fried’s order followed repeated violations of pretrial conditions.

He has also revived his long-standing argument that FTX “was always solvent” and that customer funds were never stolen. That position was rejected at trial, where jurors concluded that client assets were misused and misrepresented. Federal courts have since ruled that later asset recoveries do not prove the company was solvent at the time of the misconduct.

In another claim, Bankman-Fried said Trump “fired” one of his prosecutors, Danielle Sassoon. Public records indicate she resigned over an unrelated Justice Department dispute and was not dismissed in connection with the FTX case.

Earlier appeals alleging an unfair trial were met with skepticism from judges last November, who said solvency was not the central issue in the verdict.

“Part of the government’s theory of the case is that the defendant misrepresented to investors that their money was safe, was not being used in the way that it was the government claims and the jury convicted it was, in fact, used,” said Circuit Judge Maria Araújo Kahn.

Bankman-Fried has also claimed he was targeted for his political views, crypto lobbying, and donations to Republicans. Courts have found no evidence supporting that argument, noting that the case relied on documents, internal messages, and witness testimony. Records also show he personally donated to Joe Biden’s campaign.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said he would not consider clemency for Bankman-Fried. Despite this, the former executive continues to argue online that his conviction was politically motivated as he presses for another chance in court.