Gary Wang, co-founder and former chief technology officer of failed crypto exchange FTX, filed a motion in Manhattan Federal Court asking the court to consider his role as a key witness and not impose a prison sentence on him.

Lawyer Ilan Graff noted that his client should not be imprisoned for cooperation with investigative authorities. Gary Wang got married in January 2023 and is expecting a son soon, so all he wants now is to be a good husband and father. At the same time, the former FTX CTO will continue to cooperate with the government and other stakeholders to speed up the return of funds to FTX victims and reduce the risk of future crypto fraud, the lawyer said.

District Judge Lewis Kaplan is scheduled to sentence Gary Wang on November 20. Wang pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges as part of a deal reached with prosecutors weeks after the 2022 collapse of crypto exchange FTX. Wang was a key witness in the trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, telling jurors that he was tasked with changing FTX’s code. This allowed hedge fund subsidiary Alameda Research to gain access to funds from FTX clients for years.

The lawyer emphasized that his client was least involved in the fraudulent scheme, unlike former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison and Wang’s colleague Nishad Singh, who also testified in court against Bankman-Fried. Gary Wang was not informed of the details of the fraudulent scheme and did not do anything to deceive anyone, the defense insists.

Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison and Ellison received two years in prison, while Singh received no prison time. Therefore, Graff argues that if Wang is imprisoned, it would be an unfair sentence.