Sam Bankman-Fried Seeks Presidential Pardon
Sam Bankman-Fried, the former cryptocurrency magnate currently incarcerated for fraud, has submitted a pardon application to President Donald Trump.
Bankman-Fried received a 25-year prison sentence following his conviction on multiple federal charges connected to FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange he founded and managed, as well as its affiliate company Alameda Research.
Now, just two years into his sentence, the 34-year-old ex-billionaire has filed a "pardon after completion of sentence" request with the Department of Justice, according to publicly available records.
If granted, this pardon would legally forgive Bankman-Fried's criminal offenses.
A White House representative declined to provide a comment. Bankman-Fried's attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
A "pardon after completion of sentence" implies that Bankman-Fried's convictions on various fraud charges would be forgiven following the full completion of his prison term.
It is important to note that he has not sought a commutation, which would reduce the length of his current sentence.
Bankman-Fried is presently pursuing an appeal against his sentence and has consistently maintained his innocence.
Rise and Fall of a Crypto Leader
Bankman-Fried rose to prominence as a leading figure in the cryptocurrency industry, with FTX becoming a widely used crypto exchange serving millions of users.
The company collapsed in 2022 amid allegations that Bankman-Fried misappropriated customer funds, using them for personal investments and to settle debts.
His pardon application is among more than 20,000 requests for pardons or commutations currently recorded by the Office of the Pardon Attorney within the Department of Justice.
Trump's Pardon History and Stance
During his second term, Trump issued numerous pardons, including for hundreds involved in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack, former staff members accused of crimes, the founder of a dark web drug marketplace, and even the leader of another cryptocurrency platform, Binance.
However, when asked earlier this year whether he would pardon Bankman-Fried, Trump indicated he would not.
"He indicated at the time that he would not."
