Jury selection for Sam Bankman-Fried's trial ends with deliberations

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Jury selection for Sam Bankman-Fried's trial ends with deliberations

The trial of Mr. Sam Bankman-Fried has ended with jury selection, which could continue until Wednesday.

The founder of FTX appeared in court with freshly shorn hair, wearing a gray suit and patterned tie. Bankman-Fried sat for the majority of the hearing before a laptop scrolling through court documents. He kept his hands on the laptop, even when peering over his shoulder at potential jurors or conferring with the four attorneys sat by his side.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Roos said a plea deal was never offered to Bankman-Fried, which his legal team then confirmed.

Approximately 200 people were summoned for jury selection, but only 12 will ultimately be selected to hear the trial.

ET asked Judge Kaplan if there was anything about the nature of the case that would make it difficult for them to be fair. At least 10 people were dismissed after several people raised their hands.

On The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, a juror announced that he had heard about Sam Bankman-Fried.

Other brides were excused for weddings, medical appointments, travel for work, and one who said he is a commodities trader said a six-week trial would be too disruptive to his job.

SBF, a former CEO and co-founder of collapsed crypto giant FTX Bankman-Fried-better known as SBF, faces seven charges, including wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering.

In November last year, FTX and its related companies quickly and unexpectedly went bankrupt.

Bankman-Fried was then arrested in Nassau, Bahamas, in December and extradited to the United States. He pleaded not guilty on January 3 to all charges.

The exchange's new management is now trying to pay back its creditors, with thousands of dollars in customer cash disappearing.

Bankman-Fried's case is expected to last about six weeks.