SBF’s Lawyer Says Client Was ‘Worst’ Witness He Has Ever Seen (1)

Sam Bankman-Fried went off-script when he took the stand.

That’s the view of David Mills, the behind-the-scenes architect of the FTX co-founder’s defense at trial. The once high-flying crypto mogul repeatedly veered away from his lawyers’ strategy, including on how to handle prosecutors’ tough questions on cross-examination.

“He may be at the very top of the list as the worst person I’ve ever seen do a cross examination,” says Mills, a Stanford Law School colleague and a close friend of Bankman-Fried’s parents.

Bankman-Fried’s parents arrive at a New York courthouse on Oct. 5.

Photographer: Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg

Not that Mills, 76, thinks a better performance by Bankman-Fried would’ve prevented the jury from ...