Trump Rules Out Pardon for FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried

Well, that’s it for Sam Bankman-Fried, the infamous founder of the disgraced FTX exchange, as Trump ruled out the possibility of pardoning him, according to The New York Times.

During a wide-ranging discussion about potential clemency for several high-profile figures, the President was asked whether he would consider pardons for people including Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, former New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Bankman-Fried. 

While explaining why he would not intervene in Combs’ prostitution-related case, Trump also indicated he did not intend to help Bankman-Fried, the report said. 

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No Clemency For SBF

Bankman-Fried was convicted in 2023 on fraud and conspiracy charges tied to the collapse of FTX and the misuse of customer funds. He is serving a 25-year sentence and is pursuing an appeal.

In recent months, he has taken steps to rebuild political support, including public messaging framed for a Republican audience, according to the account in the material provided. He has also remained active through posts on an X account that says the messages are his words shared by a friend. 

In December, he praised Trump’s pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and wrote that “few are more deserving than him,” the material said.

Bankman-Fried’s parents, Stanford Law School professors Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman, have also explored a pardon effort, holding meetings with lawyers and people seen as close to Trump, according to the material provided.

But, no luck. Though Trump has granted clemency to several crypto-related figures during his current term, including Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, as well as Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao in 2025, as Crypto News Australia reported.

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