(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – Ahead of his sentencing next month, the mother of convicted crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried has expressed grave concerns about her son’s safety in prison due to his behavior associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
“I genuinely fear for Sam’s life in the typical prison environment,” wrote Stanford Law professor Barbara Fried in court papers.
Bankman-Fried’s behavior, according to his mother, “can seem odd and off-putting to people that don’t know him,” due to traits associated with ASD.
“He is bad at responding to social cues in ‘normal’ ways, uncomfortable looking people in the eye, uncomfortable with outward shows of emotion,” Fried wrote.
“The broader public was charmed by many of his eccentricities — or at least pretended to be — while he was on top of the world. The moment he fell, the same public became merciless, ridiculing his awkward traits and verbal style, taking them as a sign of duplicity or worse, and portraying him as a freak with evil intentions,” Fried went on.
Bankman-Fried, 32, faces up to 110 years in prison for stealing $10 billion from customers of his crypto exchange FTX to plug debts at his hedge fund.
Bankman-Fried’s father, Joseph Bankman, also wrote to the court, expressing concerns about his son’s safety, claiming that he would be in “significant physical danger” if handed a lengthy prison sentence.
“Nothing he has done can justify putting him at that risk,” Bankman wrote.
Bankman-Fried’s new attorney Marc Mukasey called the 110-year maximum sentence “grotesque,” advocating for a shorter term of 63-to-78-months — or 5.25 to 6.5 years.
Mukasey also highlighted Bankman-Fried’s condition known as “anhedodia,” characterized by a near-complete absence of enjoyment, motivation, and interest.
“Those who know Sam are sensitive to the tragic fact that nothing in life brings him real happiness,” Mukasey added.
Federal prosecutors are expected to make their own sentencing recommendation soon.
