Judge Denies Cross-Examination of Key Witnesses in Sam Bankman-Fried Trial

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The most-awaited testimonies from Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang have been denied by Judge Lewis Kaplan to be further cross-examined by the defense counsel of S. Bankman-Fried. 

The defense wanted to question Wang on how FTX lawyers helped Alameda Research structure loans, but Judge Kaplan dismissed their request. The defense team for Sam Bankman-Fried keeps asking the judge for permission to cross-examine Caroline Ellison and former FTX CTO Gary Wang.  

Why Cross-Examination Was Denied – “Denying By Moot”

In a court document made late on October 10, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan dismissed Sam Bankman-Fried’s attorneys’ request to elicit information about the role of counsel in arranging the loans given by Alameda Research during Gary Wang’s cross-examination as the former chief technology officer of FTX.

Following a request by Sam Bankman-Fried’s solicitors to cross-examine former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison about the same points, the order was issued. The defense predicts that the prosecution will try to get Caroline Ellison to admit that Sam Bankman-Fried told her to establish auto-deletion on several of her Signal and Slack messaging accounts. However, the engagement of Alameda or FTX attorneys, according to SBF attorneys, demonstrates good faith and a lack of criminal intent.

The Judge stated, “The Government has elicited and may continue to elicit testimony on the use of auto-deletion policies at Alameda and FTX; we respectfully request that the Court allow the defense to elicit the above-referenced evidence in its cross-examination of Ms. Ellison.”

By ordering “denying by moot” to Gary Wang’s cross-examination, Judge Kaplan indicated that he felt the matter was no longer pertinent and that too much time had elapsed. He will most likely turn down SBF’s solicitors’ request to cross-examine Caroline Ellison for the same reason.

Ellison Accuses Bankman-Fried

Caroline Ellison has admitted her guilt and is working with the authorities. However, she pointed out that Sam Bankman-Fried had ordered her to perpetrate these scams. Therefore, she did not act on her initiative. She added that SBF had access to the accounts of both FTX and Alameda and made choices on both firms’ operations. 

She continued by saying that SBF decided to invest billions of dollars in risky ventures despite being aware of the risks at Alameda.

Caroline emphasized that SBF’s involvement in the decision-making process extended beyond just investment choices. She claimed that he had direct control over the day-to-day operations and was fully aware of the potential consequences of their actions. Despite this, Caroline acknowledged her responsibility in carrying out the scams under SBF’s direction.