Former Justice Department prosecutor says SBF could serve 25 years

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman Freed CNBC November 4 The statement of a former government prosecutor was cited.

Renato Mariotti, a former U.S. Justice Department prosecutor, predicted that Bankman-Fried will spend 20 to 25 years in prison. By comparison, the maximum sentence for Bankman-Fried is typically 110 to 115 years.

Mariotti suggested that a 20-year sentence is still a heavy sentence, nonetheless. He noted that Bankman-Fried conducted a "huge" fraud through FTX and allegedly lied on the witness stand. Mariotti said that Judge Lewis Kaplan would likely be more sympathetic to the victims than Judge Bankman-Fried was when it came time to sentence.

Mariotti said in a statement to CNBC:

“The federal sentencing guidelines may be high, but they are just that… The judge needs to consider all the circumstances of SBF and his crimes.”

Another former producer, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin JO'Brien, offered a similar estimate. He suggested that Bankman-Fried's sentence could be "15 to 20 years" because the judge has discretion in sentencing. O'Brien also said Bankman-Fried's relatively young age might give Judge Kaplan a chance to give him life in prison after serving his sentence. The former FTX CEO is 31 years old.

The experts did not comment on other possible clemency options, such as the possibility that Bankman-Fried could serve his sentence under house arrest or that the months he has already spent in prison would be counted toward his sentence.

Others expect harsher sentences

Another legal expert suggested that Bankman-Fried could receive a harsher sentence. Yesha Yadav, a law professor and associate dean at Vanderbilt University, said Bankman-Fried's sentence could be closer to the maximum of 110 years.

Yadav pointed to various factors that could have lengthened the sentence, such as the number of customers harmed, the size of the fraud in dollar terms, the severity of the damages and the fact that jurors quickly reached a unanimous decision on Bankman-Fried's guilt. However, he acknowledged that Bankman-Fried's youth and the fact that the former executive's crimes were not violent in nature could have mitigated the sentence.

Category A Separate report Forbes cited Epner and Vermont Law School professor Jared Carter, another legal expert who predicts a long prison sentence. Carter said he would be surprised if Bankman-Fried received less than 25 years.

Bankman-Fried also faces a second trial involving charges of U.S. campaign finance and bribing Chinese officials that could extend his prison sentence.

The former executive was found guilty of seven counts related to the FTX fraud. November 2 He will serve his sentence on March 28, 2024.