Judge rejects bid to free FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during his trial

A judge on Thursday closed the door on FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s hopes to be free during his trial, although he extended the hours that the cryptocurrency peddler can meet with his lawyers in a federal courthouse.

At a hearing, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected a request by Bankman-Fried’s lawyers to free their client so he could better prepare his defence against charges that he defrauded cryptocurrency investors.

Bankman-Fried, 31, faces the start of his trial Tuesday in Manhattan. He has pleaded not guilty.

His lawyer, Mark Cohen, told Kaplan that he cannot meaningfully confer with his client as long as Bankman-Fried is jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.