Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers say he needs more Adderall to concentrate in court
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
- SBF's lawyers are petitioning the court to grant him access to more Adderall during his trial.
- Lawyers said he wouldn't be able "to concentrate at the level he ordinarily would" without it.
- They suggested adjourning the trial for a day if the court can't provide the necessary medication.
Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers say the embattled FTX founder needs more Adderall so he can concentrate during his ongoing criminal trial.
Bankman-Fried was diagnosed with ADHD and depression years ago, according to a story published by The New Yorker last month. Prescription drug Adderall helps to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by improving one's attention and focus.
Bankman-Fried's lawyers wrote in a letter to District Judge Lewis Kaplan on Sunday that their client "has been doing his best to remain focused during the trial for the past two weeks, despite not having his prescribed dose of Adderall during trial hours."
The lawyers wrote that Bankman-Fried had only been given a dose of Adderall in the early mornings before he arrived at court for his criminal trial. The early dose would wear off by the time the trial began, his lawyers said.
The lawyers said they were concerned Bankman-Fried would not be able "to concentrate at the level he ordinarily would" without access to more Adderall.
Bankman-Fried's legal team proposed in the letter that their client be given an extended-release dose of Adderall before he is taken to court on Monday. They also suggested adjourning the trial for a day if the court couldn't provide the necessary medication.
A representative for Bankman-Fried declined to comment on the court petition.
This isn't the first time Bankman-Fried has gotten his lawyers to petition for greater access to Adderall.
When Bankman-Fried was detained in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn in August, his attorney asked Kaplan to grant Bankman-Fried "uninterrupted access" to Adderall, per court documents seen by Insider.
Mark Cohen, one of Bankman-Fried's lawyers, told Kaplan in a letter on August 14 that Bankman-Fried "has been prescribed Adderall 10mg tablets, 3-4x/day" to treat his ADHD. Kaplan had approved Cohen's request for continued access to Bankman-Fried's medication.
The criminal trial against the disgraced crypto entrepreneur began on October 3. Prosecutors accuse Bankman-Fried of defrauding customers and investors of his now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, by siphoning their funds to his trading firm, Alameda Research.
Bankman-Fried faces seven criminal charges ranging from securities fraud to money laundering. He has pled not guilty on all counts.