Jailed crypto founder Sam Bankman-Fried seeks Trump pardon

June 8, 2026

Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced cryptocurrency entrepreneur currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for fraud related to his failed exchange FTX, has formally requested a presidential pardon from Donald Trump through the Department of Justice. The 34-year-old former billionaire, only two years into his sentence, has specifically applied for a pardon after completing his full prison term rather than seeking a reduced sentence through commutation. His application joins over 20,000 similar requests currently pending with the Office of the Pardon Attorney.

Who is affected

Sam Bankman-Fried (the applicant serving a 25-year sentence)
FTX customers and investors (victims of the fraud)
Alameda Research stakeholders
The Department of Justice and Office of the Pardon Attorney (processing the request)
President Donald Trump (decision-maker on the pardon application)

What action is being taken

Sam Bankman-Fried has filed an application for pardon after completion of sentence with the Department of Justice
Bankman-Fried is currently attempting to appeal against his sentence

Why it matters

This case is significant because it involves one of the most high-profile cryptocurrency fraud cases in recent history, where millions of FTX users lost access to their funds after Bankman-Fried allegedly misused deposited funds for personal investments and debt payments. A pardon would legally forgive his federal fraud convictions, potentially setting a precedent for how white-collar cryptocurrency crimes are treated and raising questions about accountability in the emerging digital currency sector, especially given the massive scale of the fraud that led to FTX's 2022 collapse.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC