DOJ records show Sam Bankman-Fried has officially asked for a presidential pardon from prison

Sam Bankman-Fried has formally turned his long-signaled push for clemency into an official request. Justice Department records list a presidential pardon application from the imprisoned executive, who is serving a 25-year sentence over the multibillion-dollar collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

What's happening?

Public records from the Justice Department show that Bankman-Fried filed a clemency application through the Office of the Pardon Attorney. Bloomberg reported that the filing asks for a "pardon after completion of sentence." 

The application was submitted from a low-security federal prison in California. An appeals decision is also pending from New York's federal court.

In a Monday phone interview with Fox Business, Bankman-Fried answered plainly when asked whether he wanted a pardon.

"Absolutely," he said. "It would be obviously, you know, ultimately up to the president, not up to me."

Meanwhile, Gizmodo highlighted that Bankman-Fried had participated in a jailhouse interview with Tucker Carlson in 2025, arguing that he was not a criminal and blaming the case against him on "Biden's lawfare machine."

Why is this notable?

When FTX unraveled in November 2022, about $9 billion was tied to the exchange's downfall, making it one of the biggest shocks in crypto history.

Crypto has been praised by supporters for the potential to offer real benefits, including faster payments and, in some cases, support for lower-energy networks or financing tied to clean energy development. 

But scandals such as the FTX collapse have made it harder for the industry to build trust, particularly as some parts of the sector continue to face criticism for heavy energy use and opaque business practices.

According to Bloomberg, President Donald Trump recently told the New York Times that he doesn't intend to pardon Bankman-Fried.

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