Sam Bankman-Fried, the indicted founder of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, wants a U.S. judge to throw out criminal charges brought against him following his extradition from the Bahamas, Reuters reported. In papers filed late Monday in Manhattan federal court, lawyers for the former billionaire said they asked Bahamas' Supreme Court to bar the country's government from authorizing U.S. prosecutors to move forward on the five charges, until their client has a chance to be heard. The lawyers said that a sixth charge, for violating U.S. campaign finance laws, should also be dismissed even though it was brought before his extradition, because the Bahamas did not consent to it. They want U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan to dismiss the charges, or try them separately from seven additional charges at Bankman-Fried's scheduled Oct. 2 trial. FTX was based in the Caribbean country. "To proceed otherwise would cause significant prejudice to Mr. Bankman-Fried and should not be permitted," his lawyers wrote on Monday. Bankman-Fried, 31, was extradited in December from the Bahamas to face charges he stole from customers, lied to investors and lenders, and violated campaign finance laws. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan later accused him of bank fraud and bribing Chinese officials.
