A federal judge rejected Sam Bankman-Fried's request for a new trial on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, denying the former FTX chief's attempt to reopen his criminal case based on claims of newly discovered evidence.
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the ruling in New York, where he oversaw Bankman-Fried's 2023 trial. Bankman-Fried was convicted over the collapse of FTX and later sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The motion was filed under Rule 33, a procedure that allows defendants to seek a new trial if new evidence emerges. Bankman-Fried argued that the jury did not hear the full picture of FTX's finances, including claims that the exchange had assets that could repay customers.
"If Sam Bankman-Fried did nothing illegal, he might have been the best VC in history
What SBF bought vs. what it's worth today:
• Cursor: ~$200K → ~$3B (+1,499,900%) • Anthropic: ~$499M → $82.3B (+16,400%) • SpaceX: ~$200M → ~$15B (+7,400%) • Solana: ~$189M → $5.1B... pic.twitter.com/PbZNcp0IJh
— Michael Burry Stock Tracker (@burrytracker) April 22, 2026"
He also argued that evidence about lawyers' involvement in FTX decisions could have supported his claim that he acted in good faith rather than with criminal intent.
However, Kaplan denied the motion even after Bankman-Fried tried to withdraw it. Bankman-Fried had claimed the judge would not be fair in deciding the request.
The ruling leaves Bankman-Fried's broader appeal before the Second Circuit as his main path to challenge the conviction.
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