Topline
FTX cofounder Sam Bankman-Fried has filed a formal request for a presidential pardon, asking President Donald Trump to erase the estimated fraud charges tied to the crypto exchange’s implosion—a long-shot bid that comes after Trump said in January he was not planning to grant the FTX founder any clemency.
Former FTX chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried leaves Manhattan federal court, New York, January 3, 2023. Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty Tuesday to US criminal fraud charges over the spectacular collapse of his crypto exchange. (Photo by Ed JONES / AFP) (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)
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Key Facts
The 34-year-old’s petition appears on the Justice Department Pardon Attorney Office’s public case-status listing, categorized as a request for a “pardon after completion of sentence.”
He is serving a 25-year term handed in 2024 from prosecutors for defrauding billions from FTX customers and spending it on investments, real estate and political donations while assuring users their money was safe.