Disgraced Cryto Founder Asks Trump For Pardon
Incarcerated cryptocurrency founder Sam Bankman-Fried is formally seeking a pardon from President Donald J. Trump, according to the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) website.
Bankman-Fried’s request for “Pardon after Completion of sentence” was submitted in 2026 and is currently pending, the DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney website reads. He’s currently serving a 25-year sentence on seven charges of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering related to his now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange platform FTX, according to the DOJ. Trump said in January this year that he would not pardon the former crypto CEO.
Bankman-Fried was convicted of orchestrating a colossal fraud scheme via his company FTX as well as his trading firm Alameda Research rooted in the misuse of what amounted to billions of dollars, officials said.
The former cypto CEO made it clear that he wanted a pardon Monday when speaking to Fox Business. “Absolutely,” he said when asked. “It would be obviously, you know, ultimately up to the president, not up to me.”
Since President Trump took office in January 2025 for his second term, he has issued over 1,400 pardons, CNBC reported. Trump told The New York Times in an expansive January interview that he will not pardon Bankman-Fried along with several other figures, including deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. (Read more from “Disgraced Cryto Founder Asks Trump For Pardon” HERE)
