Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyer has claimed that the FTX founder is inadequately nourished as he tries to ready for his fraud trial, making it all the more difficult.
Mr Bankman-Fried entered a plea of 'not guilty' to the seven criminal charges laid out in the new indictment.
Two weeks ago, his bail was taken away.
The judge declared that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that the defendant had attempted to influence witnesses on two occasions.
Mark Cohen, the attorney for the former billionaire, declared that his client's ability to prepare for trial, slated to begin in October, is being hindered by the scarcity of sufficient food at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.
Mr Bankman-Fried, according to his lawyer, was living on a meager diet of bread and water.
Mr Cohen asserted that Mr Bankman-Fried wasn't in possession of the ADHD medicine Adderall and that his stock of the Emsam treatment for depression was nearly depleted.
Judge Sarah Netburn stated that she would make a request to the US Department of Justice's Bureau of Prisons, responsible for administrating the jail, to resolve Mr Bankman-Fried's medication dilemma.
The judge noted that she had a degree of assurance that the venue provided vegetarian dishes, yet was unclear as to whether vegan options were obtainable.
The Bureau of Prisons declared that prisoners were supplied with "correct" medical care, medication and hot meals.
At a court hearing in New York Tuesday, he entered a plea of not guilty to the seven criminal charges outlined in a new indictment.
Bankman-Fried, formerly known as "The King of Crypto", was brought before the court with his legs shackled and clothed in a beige prison uniform.
This was his initial court hearing since his bail was taken away on the 11th of August.
Mr Bankman-Fried was imprisoned as a result of his disclosure of the private works of his ex-sweetheart and coworker, Caroline Ellison, to a news reporter.
Ms Ellison, formerly the CEO of Alameda, trading firm owned by Mr Bankman-Fried, has pleaded guilty and offered to provide testimony against him.
An indictment was brought against Mr Bankman-Fried in regards to seven counts of fraud and conspiracy linked to the downfall of FTX in November 2022.
He is no longer faced with accusations of conspiring to break US campaign finance regulations.
He denied the charges.
Mr Bankman-Fried admitted that FTX did not have proper risk management in place, but refuted the allegation that he had stolen the funds.
FTX was formerly the second most significant crypto-trading platform globally, with a valuation of $32bn (£25bn).
The filing for bankruptcy protection on 11 November caused a stir in the cryptocurrency market.
Comments