Nishad Singh Pleads for Time Served Asserting Minor Involvement in FTX Crimes

Former FTX engineering director, Nishad Singh, has requested “time served and a period of supervised release” after pleading guilty to fraud charges in 2023 related to the collapse of the exchange. Singh’s lawyers argued that his role in the indictment was “far more limited” compared to other individuals involved. They emphasized Singh’s cooperation with prosecutors and claimed that he was not involved in any crimes until September 2022, after the core decisions were made by Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison. The defense filing included numerous letters of support for Singh, who admitted to assisting Bankman-Fried in falsely presenting FTX as more profitable. Singh expressed remorse for the harm caused and expressed a desire to prove himself worthy of any chance given to him. Meanwhile, Bankman-Fried, Ellison, and Gary Wang, who also pleaded guilty, are either in prison or awaiting sentencing. Ryan Salame, who did not testify at Bankman-Fried’s trial, is serving a 90-month sentence. The prosecutors’ sentencing recommendations for Singh had not been filed at the time of publication. However, Singh’s lawyers argued that the court should not send the same message as in Ellison’s case, where a two-year sentence was imposed to emphasize the seriousness of her actions despite her cooperation. Singh is scheduled for sentencing on October 30 before Judge Lewis Kaplan.