Hypothesis concerning a possible presidential pardon for Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced former CEO and co-founder of crypto trade FTX, intensified since former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao obtained clemency from President Donald Trump final yr.
Nevertheless, a current report by The New York Instances signifies that Trump has firmly rejected the concept of pardoning Bankman-Fried, alongside different high-profile figures.
No Clemency For FTX Co-Founder
When questioned about the potential for issuing presidential pardons for people comparable to Sean Combs, Nicolas Maduro, and Bankman-Fried, Trump made it clear that he had no intentions of granting clemency to those people.
This information comes as the previous crypto mogul continues to hunt aid from his 25-year sentence for one of many largest monetary frauds in fashionable historical past.
Bankman-Fried’s mother and father are reportedly working behind the scenes to foyer for a discount of their son’s sentence. Regardless of these efforts, the intensive fallout from FTX’s collapse seems to have swayed Trump’s pondering in opposition to issuing a pardon.
In November 2023, Bankman-Fried was convicted on seven legal counts, together with fraud and conspiracy, leading to a 25-year jail sentence and a mandate to repay $11 billion to FTX clients.
His authorized staff acknowledged again in November 2025 that their shopper had been “unfairly convicted,” claiming he was denied a good alternative to defend himself amid intense media scrutiny and prosecutorial stress.
“Sam Bankman-Fried was by no means presumed harmless,” they argued of their attraction. “He was presumed responsible—earlier than he was even charged.”
Bankman-Fried Pursues Authorized Cures
The state of affairs drew additional comparisons to Zhao’s case when, on October 23, the White Home introduced Trump had pardoned the Binance co-founder, who had beforehand pleaded responsible to prices two years earlier.
White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt remarked that the President was exercising his constitutional authority in pardoning Zhao, who confronted prosecution by the Biden Administration amidst its regulatory actions in opposition to cryptocurrency.
Nevertheless, the circumstances surrounding FTX’s dramatic collapse recommend {that a} pardon for the previous FTX CEO is unlikely presently. Because it stands, Bankman-Fried stays centered on his authorized choices.
Featured picture from Forbes, chart from TradingView.com
Editorial Course of for bitcoinist is centered on delivering totally researched, correct, and unbiased content material. We uphold strict sourcing requirements, and every web page undergoes diligent evaluate by our staff of high expertise consultants and seasoned editors. This course of ensures the integrity, relevance, and worth of our content material for our readers.
