Sam Bankman-Fried has formally asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review his fraud conviction, grant a new trial, and overturn an approximately $11 billion forfeiture order. The petition was filed on September 10, 2026, and challenges the June 12, 2026 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that upheld his conviction, 25-year prison sentence, and financial penalty.
In his Supreme Court filing, Bankman-Fried argues that the trial court improperly prevented him from presenting evidence about FTX and Alameda's ability to repay customers. His legal team contends that prosecutors presented a loss calculation exceeding $10 billion while blocking evidence that bankruptcy recoveries were sufficient to satisfy user claims. Lead Supreme Court counsel Jeffrey Fisher said in an interview that the jury was prevented from hearing that funds and asset recoveries within the FTX bankruptcy estate could cover customer claims.
The petition also characterizes the approximately $11 billion forfeiture as an unconstitutional excessive fine under the Eighth Amendment. The Second Circuit had previously rejected both the evidentiary argument and the excessive-fines challenge, ruling that the government did not need to prove an intent to cause economic loss under wire fraud precedent. The appeal relies on the procedural asymmetry: prosecutors could present multibillion-dollar loss figures, while the defense could not offer substantive rebuttal with evidence of later recoveries.
Bankman-Fried's public statements emerged on September 14, 2026, through authorized prison messages, saying Judge Lewis A. Kaplan allowed the government to claim more than $10 billion in depositor losses while prohibiting him from responding. The FTX platform halted withdrawals and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2022, when Bitcoin traded near $16,800. Federal prosecutors have maintained that customer losses were approximately $8 billion, arguing the misappropriation occurred when client deposits were transferred without authorization to Alameda Research.
On July 15, 2026, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved Senate Resolution 772, formalizing congressional opposition to any executive clemency or presidential pardon for Bankman-Fried. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to announce whether it will grant or deny the certiorari petition before the end of the fourth quarter of 2026.
