‘Math nerd’ or crypto criminal? Question at heart of Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial

Prosecutors have depicted a malicious financial mastermind, but his defense says he's just a wayward boy genius. Which will jurors believe?

A single question has dominated the first week of Sam Bankman-Fried's fraud trial: which version of this tech bro do you believe?

Prosecutors have cast Bankman-Fried - the 31-year-old founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX - as the mastermind of a $10bn fraud, among the largest and most nefarious in American history. They say he selfishly squandered the money of customers who put their trust in FTX. He lavished the cash on ritzy properties, ill-gotten influence, glamorous travel, and the highest-profile ads, all while concealing a hidden mountain of debt, they allege.