After 30 minutes of deliberation on Thursday, the jury in the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of the crypto exchange FTX, sent the court a note at about 3:45 p.m. "We want cars," it read, in reference to free taxis home for the jurors if their discussions lasted into the evening.
Reporters in the courthouse had previously whispered among themselves that the jury may return the next morning and not deliberate until 8 p.m. that night, given the complexity of the accusations against Bankman-Fried, whom the Justice Department charged with seven counts of fraud and money laundering. However, the jurors' decision to stay late—and eat dinner on the government's dime—was the first indication that they may come to a verdict earlier than expected in one of the most high-profile cases of financial fraud in recent history.
