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Point of Focus
- Sam Bankman-Fried wants a new trial and the reversal of an $11 billion forfeiture order.
- His lawyers say the trial court blocked evidence that FTX customers could be repaid.
- The Supreme Court is not required to hear the appeal.
Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried has taken his fight to the US Supreme Court, asking the justices to overturn his fraud conviction, grant him a new trial, and eliminate an $11-billion forfeiture order.
The former FTX chief filed his petition Thursday after a federal appeals court upheld his conviction and 25-year prison sentence in June. His lawyers argue that restrictions imposed during his 2023 trial prevented him from presenting evidence supporting his defense.
Bankman-Fried was convicted on seven fraud and conspiracy counts following FTX’s collapse in November 2022.
Prosecutors accused him of diverting billions of dollars in customer assets to Alameda Research to finance investments, political donations, property purchases, and other spending.
SBF says judge blocked critical evidence
The appeal centers on whether Bankman-Fried should have been allowed to show that Alameda’s investments retained enough value to cover FTX customers’ losses.
His lawyers argue that prosecutors introduced evidence suggesting customers suffered financial harm, while the defense could not present evidence pointing in the opposite direction.
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Asks Supreme Court to Review His Fraud Conviction
Bankman-Fried argued “there were always more than enough assets available to repay customers” pic.twitter.com/tAgzTk2Z7f
— FTX Historian (@historian_ftx) September 11, 2026
“Where the government pursues a theory of fraud under which it doesn’t matter whether any victims lost money, introducing evidence suggesting that people actually lost money is distracting and prejudicial,” Supreme Court attorney Jeffrey Fisher told CNN.
“All the more so where the truth is the victims did not lose money, and the defendant is unable to make that clear,” he added.
However, the Second Circuit rejected those arguments in June, describing the government’s trial evidence as “robust.” Its ruling said Bankman-Fried repeatedly assured customers that their assets were safe while secretly using their funds for other purposes.
$11-billion order faces Eighth Amendment challenge
Bankman-Fried is also challenging the $11-billion forfeiture imposed as part of his sentence.
His attorneys called the order a “crushing fine” and argued that it violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against excessive fines.
They maintain that FTX held sufficient assets to repay customers, who have since received distributions through the company’s bankruptcy process.
That argument faces a significant obstacle: Recovering money later does not necessarily erase fraud committed when customer funds were secretly misused.
Supreme Court appeal to undergo long odds
The filing does not guarantee that the Supreme Court will hear the case. At least four justices must agree to grant review, and the court accepts only a small proportion of the petitions it receives.
If the justices decline, the Second Circuit’s ruling and Bankman-Fried’s 25-year sentence will remain intact.
🚨 Sam Bankman-Fried has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his fraud conviction and $11B forfeiture.
SBF is serving a 25-year sentence over the collapse of FTX.
His petition argues the trial blocked evidence that FTX and Alameda had enough assets to eventually repay… pic.twitter.com/H1pyPZD5pg
— 𝗖 𝗵 𝗶 𝗯 𝘀™ (@Sam_ko4) September 11, 2026
Bankman-Fried has also reportedly applied for a pardon from President Donald Trump.
That request remains pending, leaving the Supreme Court petition as his most significant active attempt to overturn the outcome of the FTX prosecution.
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