Trump Dismisses Pardon For FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Amid Lobbying Efforts

Speculation relating to 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 acquired clemency from President Donald Trump final yr. 

However, a latest report by The New York Times 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 of issuing presidential pardons for people equivalent 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 reduction from his 25-year sentence for one of many largest monetary frauds in trendy historical past.

Bankman-Fried’s mother and father are reportedly working behind the scenes to foyer for a discount of their son’s sentence. Despite these efforts, the in depth fallout from FTX’s collapse seems to have swayed Trump’s considering towards issuing a pardon.

In November 2023, Bankman-Fried was convicted on seven felony counts, together with fraud and conspiracy, leading to a 25-year jail sentence and a mandate to repay $11 billion to FTX prospects. 

His authorized workforce acknowledged again in November 2025 that their consumer 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 enchantment. “He was presumed responsible—earlier than he was even charged.”

 Bankman-Fried Pursues Legal Remedies

The scenario drew additional comparisons to Zhao’s case when, on October 23, the White House announced Trump had pardoned the Binance co-founder, who had beforehand pleaded responsible to expenses two years earlier. 

White House 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 towards cryptocurrency.

However, the circumstances surrounding FTX’s dramatic collapse counsel {that a} pardon for the previous FTX CEO is unlikely presently. As it stands, Bankman-Fried stays targeted on his authorized choices.

Featured picture from Forbes, chart from TradingView.com