Bankman-Fried, who is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence, filed his appeal on Friday, specifically targeting the judge who oversaw his trial and subsequent conviction.

Last fall, a federal jury found Bankman-Fried guilty of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering after a month-long trial in New York. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the Federal District Court in Manhattan then sentenced him to 25 years in prison in March.

Bankman-Fried's appeal, which spans 102 pages, focuses on the rulings made by Judge Kaplan that allegedly limited his ability to present crucial evidence and hindered his defense. Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, Bankman-Fried's lawyer, argued for a new trial, stating that the presumption of innocence was never granted to her client even before the trial began.

The appeal itself is considered a long shot, as federal convictions are rarely overturned. However, Bankman-Fried has maintained his innocence since the initial charges were brought against him following FTX's collapse in November 2022. During this time, he has been held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Once a billionaire crypto icon, Bankman-Fried's reputation quickly unraveled when a run on deposits at FTX exposed an astonishing $8 billion shortfall in the company's accounts, triggering a subsequent criminal investigation. Three of Bankman-Fried's top advisors at FTX pleaded guilty to fraud and testified against him during the trial.

The appeal, led by Shapiro, criticized Judge Kaplan's ruling that prevented Bankman-Fried from arguing in court that FTX's customers had not actually suffered permanent losses, as they were expected to recover funds through the bankruptcy process. It further contended that Judge Kaplan wrongfully restricted Bankman-Fried's ability to testify that he relied on legal advice when making business decisions that were questioned by the prosecution.

The filing also highlighted concerns about the pre-trial deposition order, in which Bankman-Fried was required to provide a preview of his testimony to the prosecution outside the jury's presence. Shapiro argued that this allowed for an "unprecedented proceeding" that inadvertently facilitated excessive cross-examination by the prosecutor.

Notably, the appeal called for a new trial to be conducted by a different judge, citing instances where Judge Kaplan allegedly made comments that undermined the defense, even ridiculing Bankman-Fried's own testimony.

Additionally, Bankman-Fried's lawyer raised objections to the role of Sullivan & Cromwell, FTX's outside legal counsel that subsequently became the primary bankruptcy lawyer. The filing argued that the law firm coerced her client into resigning as FTX's CEO and effectively became an arm of the government by sharing information with federal prosecutors.

It remains to be seen whether Bankman-Fried's appeal will yield any results, as the chances of overturning a federal conviction are slim. In the meantime, the disgraced crypto entrepreneur continues to fight for his innocence from behind bars.