Sam Bankman-Fried does not have access to Adderall in custody and subsists on a diet of peanut butter sandwiches and water, his attorney alleges
- Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyer claimed that the FTX founder is unable to follow his vegan diet in prison.
- He's been living off of bread, water, and peanut butter, according to NBC News.
Sam Bankman-Fried's attorney claimed the disgraced crypto mogul is living off of scraps in custody because his requests for a vegan diet have been ignored.
In a court hearing on Tuesday where he pleaded not guilty to seven charges including money laundering and conspiracy, Bankman-Fried's defense attorney Mark Cohen said that the FTX founder has been living off of bread, water, and peanut butter, according to NBC News.
His attorney added that Bankman-Fried is not receiving his prescribed Adderall either at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, per NBC News.
According to a commissary list for the prison, Bankman-Fried has been able to purchase two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches per visit, costing $3.65 per sandwich. Prisoners are allowed a visit to the commissary once every two weeks.
Before he was remanded to prison in the US this year, Bankman-Fried previously said that he mainly ate peanut butter while incarcerated in the Bahamas.
During the court hearing on Tuesday, Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn said that the prison could offer a vegetarian diet but that she would inquire further about his request for a vegan diet, NBC reported.
FTX declared bankruptcy in November 2022, after a financial scheme prosecutors say that Bankman-Fried masterminded. In January, Bankman-Fried was charged with illegally siphoning money from FTX customers to Alameda Research, a trading firm he founded.
The disgraced crypto figure was initially released on a $250 million bond, but in August he was remanded to MDC, a prison known for its poor conditions after a judge said there was probable cause that he attempted witness tampering. Bankman-Fried was accused of leaking ex-partner and Alameda co-CEO Caroline Ellison's diary entries in July, which prosecutors said constituted witness tampering.
Ellison pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering in December 2022, and prosecutors said she will be a key witness for the case, along with other Alameda colleagues. Last week, prosecutors claimed that in a recording, Ellison blamed Bankman-Fried for using customer money as the company imploded.
Bankman-Fried's trial is set for October 3. Bankman-Fried's attorney didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.