NY Federal Court Finalizes Rejection of Sam Bankman-Fried's New Trial Request... Judge Lewis Kaplan Dismisses "Conspiratorial Claims"

On April 28, 2026, Judge Lewis Kaplan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York officially rejected former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried's (SBF) request for a new trial. In his ruling, Judge Kaplan strongly criticized the claims raised by Bankman-Fried, defining them as "wildly conspiratorial."

This ruling is the court's final response following Bankman-Fried's attempt to voluntarily withdraw the application on April 22, 2026. At that time, he expressed his intent to withdraw, citing that the court was biased against him and he could not expect a fair hearing.

Despite the defendant's request for withdrawal, Judge Kaplan issued a formal rejection, clarifying that Bankman-Fried's legal claims lacked substantial merit. The court determined that the procedural errors or evidentiary objections raised by Bankman-Fried were not matters that would change the outcome of the trial.

The claims raised by the defendant not only lack legal basis but are also based on a wildly conspiratorial view of the overall trial process.

This request for a new trial was first filed in February 2026 under 'Rule 33' and was reportedly written by Bankman-Fried himself while in custody. His parents, legal scholars Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, were confirmed to have assisted with editing and printing the document, making some revisions.

Background of Handwritten Legal Strategy and Withdrawal Attempt

Bankman-Fried wrote the request for a new trial with the assistance of his parents in an environment where access to word processors was limited. In a letter submitted to the court on April 22, 2026, he admitted to writing the document himself but sought to withdraw the application, expressing concern that he would not receive fair justice from Judge Kaplan.

• February 2026: 'Rule 33' new trial request filed, led by Sam Bankman-Fried and his family
• February 2026: Request for a change of judge filed, citing Judge Kaplan's 'deep-seated bias'
• April 22, 2026: Application to withdraw the new trial request filed due to perceived inability to receive a fair hearing
• April 28, 2026: Judge Lewis Kaplan officially rejects the new trial request and dismisses the claims
• Currently Ongoing: Appeal process regarding the conviction and sentencing through the Second Circuit Court of Appeals

Since February, Bankman-Fried has been pursuing a motion to recuse the judge, claiming that Judge Kaplan has a "deep-seated bias" against him. However, the court did not accept these claims and reaffirmed the legitimacy of the initial trial through this rejection.

Bankman-Fried is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence on multiple charges, including fraud and conspiracy. The rejection of this new trial request signifies the failure of one of his individual legal maneuvers, while his legal team continues the appeal process in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the conviction itself.

Meanwhile, discussions regarding the recovery value of FTX's assets are active within the cryptocurrency community. As hypotheses spread that the value of FTX's unliquidated portfolio could reach $114 billion due to the recent increase in the value of its Anthropic stake, public opinion is divided on the correlation between Bankman-Fried's fraud charges and the actual scale of damages.

Legal experts analyze that while this rejection will not directly affect the upcoming appeal, it serves as an indicator of how Bankman-Fried's logic is being received by the court. All eyes are now on the decision of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, his last chance to overturn the conviction.