Bankman-Fried Seeks Pardon After 25-Year Sentence
DOJ records show Sam Bankman-Fried filed a 'pardon after completion of sentence' application in 2026 while his appeal and 25-year sentence remain pending.
The Gateway PunditDisgraced ‘Crypto Bro’ Sam Bankman-Fried Formally Asks for Trump Pardon, Two Years After Conviction for ‘Historical Financial Fraud’ * The Gateway Pundit * by Paul Serran
Daily CallerDisgraced Cryto Founder Asks Trump For Pardon
GizmodoConvicted Crypto Fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried Officially Files for Trump Pardon
CNBCConvicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried files formal request for Trump pardon
Overview
Sam Bankman-Fried filed a 'pardon after completion of sentence' application with the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney in 2026, DOJ records show.
He was convicted on seven counts in 2023 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2024 for fraud tied to FTX's November 2022 collapse.
President Donald Trump said in a January 2026 interview that he had no intention of pardoning Bankman-Fried, and White House spokespeople have referred back to those remarks.
Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered forfeiture of more than $11 billion, the FTX bankruptcy estate reported recoveries of roughly 118%, and Bankman-Fried has said customers were repaid about 170%, court and estate records indicate.
His appeal is pending before the federal appeals court in New York and his pardon application remains listed as pending with the Office of the Pardon Attorney.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present the story factually, emphasizing documented records (DOJ filing, conviction, 25-year sentence) and direct statements (Trump's denial of intent to pardon) without loaded rhetoric. They balance context (Trump's history of pardons) and factual limits (uncertain filing date), avoiding editorializing or selective omission of major viewpoints.