Sam Bankman-Fried’s testimony offered two different glimpses of the same founder

During direct examination, Bankman-Fried looked engaged and even relaxed; on cross-examination with prosecutor Danielle Sassoon, the former FTX CEO twisted in his chair and wiped his brow.

Sam Bankman-Fried finished his direct testimony in his federal fraud case on Monday on reasonably strong footing, maintaining that he didn’t know about much of what was going on at FTX and Alameda Research, his crypto exchange and trading firm, until their implosion in November 2022. But in several hours of cross-examination, Bankman-Fried seemed less believable, claiming over and over that he didn’t remember statements and documents, and relying on answers like “I’m not sure” and “I’m not saying I didn’t say it.”

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