US President Donald Trump reportedly has no plans to pardon former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), regardless of issuing a wave of clemency since returning to workplace.
In his first 12 months again as President, Trump has granted a whole lot of pardons and commutations. This consists of a number of high-profile figures within the cryptocurrency trade.
Sam Bankman-Fried Is Not Getting a Presidential Pardon
In a current interview with The New York Instances, President Donald Trump made it clear {that a} presidential pardon for Bankman-Fried is unlikely. The President additionally referenced a number of outstanding circumstances the place he has no intention of granting a pardon.
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This consists of former New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, Venezuelan chief Nicolás Maduro, and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Bankman-Fried obtained a 25-year jail sentence after being convicted on a number of counts of fraud and conspiracy tied to the collapse of the FTX trade. Regardless of the conviction, efforts to safe clemency have continued.
In January, Bloomberg reported that his mother and father launched outreach efforts aimed toward securing a pardon from Trump. The previous FTX CEO renewed these efforts in February 2025 throughout his first interview from jail with The New York Solar.
“I viewed myself at the time as sort of center-left, and that’s not how I view myself anymore. By 2022, I had spent a bunch of time in Washington, D.C., working with legislators, regulators, and the executive branch, and I became really frustrated and disappointed with what I saw of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party. Particularly on crypto policy, the Biden administration was just incredibly destructive and difficult to work with. I think my case fits into that broader context,” SBF acknowledged.
Bankman-Fried has additionally filed an attraction searching for to overturn his 25-year sentence. For now, he’s serving his sentence at a low-security jail close to Los Angeles. SBF is eligible for launch in October 2044.
Highlight on Trump’s Crypto Pardons in 2025
Whereas Bankman-Fried’s pardon hopes have been dashed, Trump has signaled openness to clemency in different crypto-related circumstances. The President not too long ago stated he would “look at” the case of Samourai Pockets CEO Keonne Rodriguez.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 President Trump says he’ll contemplate a pardon for the CEO of privacy-focused Bitcoin pockets Samourai.
“I’ve heard about it, I’ll look at it. Let’s take a look at it.” pic.twitter.com/WfpLPYOlfj
— Bitcoin Journal (@BitcoinMagazine) December 15, 2025
Notably, Trump has issued three high-profile crypto-related pardons in 2025:
- Ross Ulbricht, the founding father of Silk Street, was pardoned in January 2025.
- In March, Trump additionally pardoned the co-founders of BitMEX, Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed, in addition to Gregory Dwyer, the previous head of enterprise improvement.
- Lastly, the President’s October 2025 pardon cleared Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) of his 2023 conviction.
Zhao’s pardon drew substantial criticism from some trade executives in addition to regulators. Seven Senate Democrats referred to as for an investigation into the choice. Lawmakers, together with Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, questioned whether or not Trump-backed World Liberty Monetary and its reported ties to Binance performed any function within the determination.
