SBF’s Evasiveness Undermines His Case on Cusp of Final Arguments

After weeks listening to the government’s criminal case against him, Sam Bankman-Fried finally got his chance to respond from the witness stand. But once prosecutors took charge, the FTX co-founder didn’t fare well, appearing vague and sometimes evasive in front of a jury on the cusp of deciding his fate.

Over two days, federal prosecutor Danielle Sassoon subjected Bankman-Fried to a painstaking cross examination, confronting the former King of Crypto with his voluminous public statements about FTX’s collapse, his humble boy genius persona and his ties to politicians and celebrities.

Sam Bankman-Fried testifies during his trial in Manhattan federal court on Oct. 26.

Photographer: Elizabeth Williams/AP

He repeatedly quibbled with the wording of statements, or ...