US prosecutors object to crypto policy arguments amid MEV bot trial

As the trial of Anton and James Peraire-Bueno entered its 11th day, a judge may soon decide whether Coin Center can weigh in on the case through an amicus brief.

US prosecutors are pushing back against efforts to introduce crypto policy arguments in the case of two brothers accused of exploiting Ethereum using maximal extractable value (MEV) bots.

In a Tuesday filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, US prosecutors opposed an amicus curiae — a brief filed by an interested party not directly involved in a case — that could encourage a jury to acquit Anton and James Peraire-Bueno. The two individuals are allegedly behind a $25-million MEV exploit of the Ethereum blockchain in April 2023. 

The letter addressed to the federal judge overseeing the case suggested that Coin Center, the cryptocurrency advocacy organization behind the amicus brief, should direct its concerns about digital asset policy through Congress rather than the courts.

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