Elisha Kobre Quoted in Bloomberg Law on Sam Bankman-Fried Fraud and Conspiracy Case

Bradley attorney Elisha Kobre talked with Bloomberg Law on the case against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who took to the stand in his own defense at his trial over the cryptocurrency exchange’s catastrophic collapse.

Kobre stated that Bankman-Fried’s case “really wasn’t going to come in any other way.” In some trials, the defendant’s testimony can prove effective in swaying a jury.

Taking the stand gave Bankman-Fried the opportunity to tell his side of the story, to explain that things were moving fast and had spun out of control without his knowledge or awareness, Kobre said. It also provided the defendant the opportunity to dispute claims levied against Bankman-Fried by co-conspirators.

“Evidently the jury did not believe it,” Kobre said. “But it gave him the chance.”

The full article, “SBF’s Testimony Was Necessary Risk for Defense With Few Options,” was published on November 7, 2023 by Bloomberg Law.