Luxury real estate, political donations, investments and magazine covers. One year ago, that was the life of Sam Bankman-Fried, Assistant United States Attorney Thane Rehn remarked during the opening statements of the world’s most famous crypto trial.
“All of it was built on lies,” Rehn continued, claiming that the co-founder of Alameda Research and FTX “lied to the world” to get richer and increase influence by lobbying in Washington, D.C. Rehn’s statement apparently affected even Bankman-Fried’s defense counsel, who responded with a lukewarm remark. His attorney, Mark Cohen, portrayed his client as an entrepreneur who made mistakes during times of accelerated growth. “There was no theft,” he told jurors.