Sam Bankman-Fried has formally requested permission from a US judge for an extended-release form of Adderall. The request comes as he faces challenges concentrating during his ongoing criminal trial.
Lawyers representing Sam Bankman-Fried are concerned that the FTX co-founder may struggle to actively contribute to his defense without his prescribed medication.
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The legal team sent a letter on October 15th to New York District Judge Lewis Kaplan, asking for the approval of a "12-hour extended-release 20mg dose of Adderall" to be administered before the trial session scheduled for October 16th.
The letter underscores that Bankman-Fried's ability to focus has been compromised due to a lack of medication during court hours.
The trial, now in its third week, has featured testimonies from several key witnesses, including Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research and Bankman-Fried's ex-girlfriend, as well as FTX co-founder Gary Wang and a former FTX developer, Adam Yedidia. It is worth noting that Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence.
Suppose the court cannot approve the medication, or it proves ineffective. In that case, they plan to halt the trial for one day, specifically on October 17th, to explore alternative solutions for the rest of the trial. The legal team also suggested that Bankman-Fried should be allowed to take his Adderall prescription at the District Court during the trial if needed.
In the letter, the lawyers noted:
<There’s> no way of knowing at present whether the extended-release dose will be effective.
Judge Kaplan initially granted Bankman-Fried access to Adderall and anti-depressants on August 14th, acknowledging his history of major depressive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
During an August 22nd hearing, his lawyers complained that the man had been without his Adderall for 11 days. They added that they had contacted the Bureau of Prisons multiple times between October 5th and October 12th but had yet to receive a response to their requests.
As the trial unfolds and the question looms over whether Bankman-Fried will testify in his defense, the request for medication serves as a crucial point of consideration for the court. Whether the court will grant this particular request is yet to be seen, but it certainly adds another layer of complexity to an already high-stakes trial.
