Sam Bankman-Fried will testify in FTX trial – Crypto News

Sam Bankman-Fried will take the stand and testify, his attorneys told Judge Lewis Kaplan and the prosecution during a telephone conference Wednesday. 

The defense expects Bankman-Fried’s direct testimony to take most of the day Thursday. The government has indicated that they expect to rest their case Thursday morning after calling one last witness, an FBI agent. 

The FBI agent is expected to be on the stand for less than an hour, counsel from both sides agreed Wednesday. 

In a motion filed Tuesday evening, the government noted that the defense has provided a list of six witnesses. On Wednesday, lead defense attorney Mark Cohen told Kaplan that they intend to call three witnesses, followed by their client. 

Read more: To take or not to take (the stand), that is SBF’s question

Prior to the phone conference, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys filed letters seeking testimony from two FBI agents after claiming that both ex-engineering head Nishad Singh and FTX co-founder Gary Wang provided “inconsistent statements.”

Bankman-Fried’s trial began in early October. The former FTX CEO faces seven federal counts of fraud and conspiracy. The prosecution has moved along faster than anticipated, noting that they expect to rest one day ahead of schedule.  

Over the past several weeks, the prosecution put ex-Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison, co-founder Gary Wang and former head of engineering Nishad Singh on the stand. Former FTX employees and friends of Bankman-Fried were also called to testify by prosecutors.

Don’t miss the next big story – join our free daily newsletter.

Follow Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial with the latest news from the courtroom.