Odaily Planet Daily News FTX founder SBF will go to trial in less than two weeks to defend his case against charges that he intentionally committed fraud and conspired to defraud crypto investors and customers of FTX and Alameda Research. The trial is expected to take six weeks and is scheduled to begin on October 3. CoinDesk issued a statement stating that the trial process of this case includes jury selection, reasonable doubt, unanimous verdict and sentencing.
Regarding jury selection, legal experts said that although the trial is scheduled to begin next month, the first steps in jury selection may begin as early as next week, when the judge will set the final witness schedule, determine the length of the trial, and evaluate all pending cases. Motion for ruling. Jury questioning will officially begin on October 3. The judge will ask potential jurors a series of questions, and will then begin to ask jurors questions from both the prosecution and the defense. Attorneys believe a fierce battle between the defense and prosecution for each juror could take days, but the Justice Department believes it will only take a day.
Regarding reasonable doubt, the trial begins with opening statements from the U.S. Department of Justice and the defense, followed by the presentation of evidence and questioning of witnesses by the U.S. Department of Justice. Pretrial filings from the U.S. Department of Justice indicate that in addition to written documents, prosecutors will provide audio recordings during the trial. The U.S. Department of Justice may turn to FBI agents as first witnesses, or it may call in people from FTX's inner circle. Given that this is a criminal trial, the Justice Department must prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.” In civil cases, the “preponderance of the evidence” standard is lower. Once the prosecution adjourns, the defense will have a chance to present additional witnesses. It is unclear whether SBF will testify in its own defense.
Regarding unanimous verdicts, federal criminal trials require unanimous verdicts to obtain a conviction. If the jury consists of 12 people, all 12 must find SBF guilty at the end of the trial, and the defense only has to convince one juror that there was "insufficient evidence." If the jury comes back after several attempts to reach a verdict and expresses that they have irreconcilable differences on all charges, the judge may declare a mistrial. Otherwise, the jury may reach a conviction on all or some of the charges, or convict on all or some of the charges. Acquitted.
Regarding sentencing, if SBF is convicted of one or more of the charges he faces, how long he will spend in prison will largely depend on the judge. Sentencing guidelines are viewed more as a starting point than strict rules. The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System will first create a report that includes "preliminary calculations of recommended sentencing ranges," before the Department of Justice and defense teams can raise any objections arguing for a longer or shorter sentence. His team is also likely to appeal if SBF is convicted. This is not the SBF's last criminal trial. He will also face new charges filed by the Justice Department early next year following an initial indictment. (CoinDesk)