Convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has formally requested a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump.
DOJ records show the request for “pardon after completion of sentence” was submitted in 2026 and is currently pending. The White House declined to comment.
Bankman-Fried is serving a 25-year federal sentence for fraud, convicted in 2023 for misusing billions in customer funds at FTX and Alameda Research. FTX filed for bankruptcy in November 2022.
Trump said in a January New York Times interview that he has “no intention of pardoning” Bankman-Fried. The president has issued over 1,400 pardons and commutations in his second term, including more than 1,200 January 6-related cases.
This formal application follows months of behind-the-scenes lobbying. Bankman-Fried spoke with a Trump-affiliated lawyer, contacted Washington lobbyists, and gave an interview with Tucker Carlson. Crypto lobbyists previously gave him a “near zero” chance of success.