Sam Bankman-Fried returns to the courtroom, voluntarily relinquishes conflict of interest regarding legal representation.

Former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried made a rare courtroom appearance to address potential conflicts of interest in his legal representation. Bankman-Fried chose to waive his right to conflict-free legal counsel with attorneys Marc Mukasey and Torrey Young, who also represented former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky. This decision was made during a hearing on February 20 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Bankman-Fried, who was convicted of seven felony counts in November 2023, has mainly remained out of the media spotlight while serving his sentence. However, photos of him with other inmates surfaced on February 19. Mukasey and Young will continue to represent Bankman-Fried and Mashinsky, while lawyers Christian Everdell and Mark Cohen, who represented Bankman-Fried during his criminal trial, will withdraw. Bankman-Fried is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28 by Judge Lewis Kaplan.