Lawyers for the former FTX CEO claim he has struggled to concentrate during his trial because of a lack of access to his prescribed medication.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s legal counsel has appealed to the court to get the FTX founder access to more Adderall during trial hours.

In an Oct. 15 letter addressed to Judge Lewis Kaplan, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers said that he had been “doing his best” to remain focused during the trial over the last two weeks, despite not having access to his prescribed medication.

SBF Sunday night filing – rerequest for trial day Adderall so he can decide whether to testify: “as we approach the decision of whether Mr. Bankrnan-Fried will testify… because of his lack of access to Adderall he has not been able to concentrate” story coming https://t.co/uUXBcLMej9 pic.twitter.com/sjZKD6XUUh

— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) October 16, 2023

Bankman-Fried receives one dose of Adderall between 4:00 am and 6:00 am ET, before he is transported to the courthouse, but this wears off by the time the trial starts at 9:00 am ET, the lawyers said, adding that he does not receive another one until he returns to The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) after 8:00 pm ET. 

“However, as we approach the defense case, and the critical decision of whether Mr. Bankman-Fried will testify, the defense has a growing concern that because of Mr. Bankman-Fried’s lack of access to Adderall he has not been able to concentrate at the level he ordinarily would and that he will not be able to meaningfully participate in the presentation of the defense case,” stated the lawyers in the letter.

They asked that the court approve administering a 12-hour extended release 20mg dose of Adderall before he is transported to the courthouse for his trial on Monday. However, since it is unclear whether the Bureau of Prisons has the medication, or whether the extended release dosage will have the desired effect, the lawyers requested that the trial be adjourned on Tuesday to “find a solution that will work.”

Earlier this year, when Bankman-Fried was remanded back to prison after having his bail revoked, Judge Kaplan approved a motion for him to have uninterrupted access to his prescription medication, although his lawyers later claimed that he had not received his dose over 11 days since he arrived at the prison.

Bankman-Fried has previously tweeted about the use of stimulants during his time running FTX.

a) stimulants when you wake up, sleeping pills if you need them when you sleep.
b) be mindful of where your headspace is: I often nap in the office so that my mind doesn’t leave work mode in between shifts.

— SBF (@SBF_FTX) September 15, 2019