Jailed crypto founder Sam Bankman-Fried asks Trump for a pardon

Jailed FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried has formally requested a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. Bankman-Fried, who is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for fraud and conspiracy related to the collapse of FTX, filed the clemency petition with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney, where its status is listed as "pending."

This request comes despite former President Trump publicly stating in January 2026 that he has no intention of granting a pardon to Bankman-Fried, citing the substantial scale of the fraud involved. Bankman-Fried was convicted in November 2023 for misusing billions of dollars in customer deposits from the exchange. He is also pursuing an appeal of his conviction and sentence.