Amid the ongoing trial, Sam Bankman-fried aka SBF’s lawyers have asked the court to allow him more Adderall throughout the hearing.
According to a motion letter sent to the court, the defense lawyers wrote that SBF did not have enough dosage of the prescribed medication for ADHD during the trial hours of the past two weeks.
In a letter dated October 15 addressed to New York District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Bankman-Fried’s legal team requested permission for him to take a “12-hour extended-release 20mg dose of Adderall” before his transportation to the trial on October 16.
The lawyers said that it is causing concern about SBF’s ability to focus on court proceedings as the case is nearing a critical phase where he has to make decisions regarding giving testimony in his own defense.
SBF is given only one dose of Adderall at 4 AM or 6 AM, which loses effectiveness by the time trial starts at the court. He is not able to concentrate on the proceedings due to a lack of Adderall, which essentially will make him not be able to “meaningfully participate” in defense, attorneys said in the letter.
The Adderall issue has been raised since Sam was sent to a Brooklyn jail after his bail was revoked. He was granted access to this medication by Judge Lewis Kaplan after 11 days of his arrival in jail.
Through the letter, defense lawyers have requested ample pills on Monday while not being sure if the Bureau of Prisons has required medication or if the pills will be effective as expected.
They asked the court to pause the trial for one day in case Bankman-Fried couldn’t take the extended-release dose or if the medication proved ineffective.
The lawyers have also sought permission to administer medication by themselves while asking to adjourn the trial on Tuesday until the issue is solved.
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