Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) said the recent government allegations painted him in the «worst light». US prosecutors alleged that SBF’s message to FTX US General Counsel Ryne Miller was an attempt to influence his testimony.

According to the legal counsel of the SBF, the only shameful founder achieved to help with the bankruptcy case. They also said a similar message was sent to the CEO of the bankrupt exchange John Ray, confirming that the SBF was only trying to help.

The lawyers also said the message’s auto-delete feature the government complained about was not involved, and an email copy was sent to Miller.

SBF Lawyers Recommend Restraint from FTX Accomplices

The lawyers argued that their client should be restricted from specific individuals, and not all former and current employees of FTX.

According to the lawyers, SBF should be restricted from contacting former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison, FTX co-founder Zixiao «Gary» Wang, and the exchange’s chief engineer, Nishad Singh. The lawyers also said the restriction would prevent him from contacting those people, even in the presence of his lawyers.

However, SBF requested unlimited contact with his father, Alan Joseph Bankman; her therapist George Lerner; and foreign regulatory officials. The lawyers wrote:

“Requiring Mr. Bankman-Fried to include counsel in all communications with a former FTX employee or former FTX employee would unnecessarily strain his resources and harm his ability to defend this case. In addition, many of these people are friends of Mr. Bankman-Fried. A general restriction of his contact with them would remove an important source of personal support.»

Also, the lawyers urged the court not to ban Bankman-Fried from using short-term messaging apps such as Signal. According to the lawyers, the government cannot ask for such restrictions based on unfounded concerns.

Requests access to FTX Crypto Assets

SBF’s legal team is asking the court to grant him access to FTX funds because he was not involved in earlier unauthorized transactions.

According to the lawyers, the government’s investigations into the unauthorized transactions lasted for almost three weeks and should have shown that the SBF’s claim about the transactions was valid. Several Alameda wallets moved funds a few days after SBF granted bail, fueling rumors that it may have been behind the transactions. However, SBF has repeatedly insisted that it did not want those transactions.

Meanwhile, federal prosecutors have seized about $700 million worth of assets from the disgraced founder.