Sam Bankman-Fried photographed during a Cointelegraph interview for an FTX pardon-filing story.

Sam Bankman-Fried Files for a Presidential Pardon

By Isaac • June 8, 2026 5:20 pm • Comments

Sam Bankman-Fried has formally applied for a presidential pardon, according to CoinDesk reporting on June 8, 2026.

The convicted FTX founder is serving a 25-year sentence after his 2024 sentencing tied to one of the largest collapses in crypto history.

The Block reported that the application appeared on the DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney website, listed as a request for a pardon after completion of sentence.

Trending: The AI That Cracked Zcash Just Put Monero on Its List

A filing is not a grant. Bankman-Fried has asked for clemency.

Nobody has given it to him.

Bankman-Fried was convicted in 2023 on fraud and conspiracy counts connected to FTX and Alameda Research. He was sentenced the following year to 25 years in prison.

He is still appealing that conviction, which means he is fighting the verdict in court and asking the president for a pardon at the same time.

The pardon push follows a recent prison interview. TechCrunch reported that Bankman-Fried told Fox Business he would absolutely want a pardon, while continuing to claim he did not commit fraud.

CoinDesk added these details:

According to CoinDesk: Sam Bankman-Fried formally applied for a presidential pardon while serving a 25-year sentence tied to the FTX collapse. The fallen crypto founder is still appealing his conviction and is seeking clemency through the federal process.

The request follows a wave of crypto-related pardon speculation but does not mean the White House has agreed to grant relief. President Trump had previously said Bankman-Fried should not count on a pardon, which is critical context for keeping the story factual rather than speculative.

Sam Bankman-Fried formally applied for a presidential pardon. the application appeared on the DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney website as a pardon-after-completion-of-sentence request.

Bankman-Fried was convicted in 2023 on fraud and conspiracy counts tied to FTX and Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried is serving a 25-year sentence after his 2024 sentencing.

Bankman-Fried is still appealing his conviction. Bankman-Fried’s application follows a Fox Business prison interview in which he said he would absolutely want a pardon.

President Trump said in January that Bankman-Fried should not count on a pardon.

The White House has not signaled any openness to this. CoinDesk reported that President Trump said in January that Bankman-Fried should not count on a pardon.

The Block reported that the White House previously pointed reporters to those same comments, with the president saying he had no plans to pardon him.

The Block added these details:

According to The Block: Sam Bankman-Fried pressed ahead with a presidential-pardon bid and that the filing appeared on the DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney website. The entry was listed as a request for a pardon after completion of sentence.

The Block also recounted that Bankman-Fried was convicted in 2023 on fraud and conspiracy charges connected to stealing billions of dollars from FTX customers and is serving a 25-year prison sentence. The White House pointed to President Trump’s earlier comments that he had no plans to pardon Bankman-Fried.

Bankman-Fried is serving a 25-year sentence after his 2024 sentencing. Bankman-Fried is still appealing his conviction.

Bankman-Fried’s application follows a Fox Business prison interview in which he said he would absolutely want a pardon. President Trump said in January that Bankman-Fried should not count on a pardon.

The White House previously pointed reporters to President Trump’s comments that he had no plans to pardon Bankman-Fried. A pardon application does not mean a pardon has been granted, promised, or endorsed by the White House.

Sam Bankman-Fried formally applied for a presidential pardon.

This story matters for crypto because FTX is the case the entire industry has spent years trying to live down. Customer money vanished, and a founder went to prison for it.

A pardon bid drags that history back into the headlines at a moment when the sector is finally winning real policy ground in Washington.

None of this changes anything about FTX-related tokens, and a court filing is no reason to chase them. The legal process is the story here, not a trade.

What Bankman-Fried filed is a request. President Trump has already said where he stands.

Until that changes, this remains a man asking, and a president who has so far said no.

Join the conversation!

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

 

Search ProCoinNews