Sam Bankman-Fried Applies for Pardon From Donald Trump

Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, filed a petition for a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump on June 8, 2026. Bankman-Fried is currently serving a 25-year sentence for wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering conspiracy involving a $10 billion scheme.

The application specifically requests a pardon after completion of sentence, meaning he is not seeking early release. Instead, he aims to restore his civil liberties and remove barriers to employment, housing, and professional licensing after his projected release in June 2044. In a jailhouse interview, Bankman-Fried argued his prosecution was unjust, claiming that the FTX estate recovered enough assets to repay customers approximately 170% of their deposits.

President Donald Trump has previously indicated he has no intention of granting the pardon, according to a January interview with The New York Times and statements from a White House spokesperson. However, Trump has issued over 1,400 pardons and commutations during his second term, including clemency for other crypto-related figures such as Changpeng Zhao and Ross Ulbricht. Bankman-Fried is also pursuing a separate appeal in a New York federal court to reduce his sentence to five or six years.