Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has publicly stated his desire for a presidential pardon from his federal prison cell. In an exclusive interview with FOX Business correspondent Susan Li, Bankman-Fried confirmed he “absolutely” wants a pardon, while declining to comment on whether his family is actively lobbying the White House on his behalf.
When asked by Li if he would want a pardon from the White House, Bankman-Fried responded, “Absolutely.” He added, “It would be obviously, you know, ultimately up to the president, not up to me.” Regarding potential family involvement, he stated, “I can’t speak for them.”
Bankman-Fried was sentenced in March 2024 to 25 years in prison after being found guilty on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy. The collapse of his crypto empire, FTX, in November 2022 resulted in significant financial losses for customers, equity investors, and lenders, amounting to billions of dollars.
Despite his conviction, Bankman-Fried continues to assert his innocence, pointing to the fact that bankruptcy payouts have now exceeded the initial losses due to the recovery in cryptocurrency markets. He told Li, “I didn’t steal user funds either. Customers have been repaid now 170% or so on their deposits.” He argued that it is a “great disservice” that it has taken three years for customers to be made whole.
The former crypto mogul also expressed regret over missing out on the artificial intelligence boom and praised Elon Musk’s business acumen. He conveyed a concern about missing opportunities, stating, “There’s a lot that I did try and position, you know, obviously as a platform towards the future, but my venture fund as well, and to try and play a role in that.” He added that he would “certainly much rather be able to help that out from the outside than in here where there’s very little I can do.” Bankman-Fried specifically mentioned SpaceX, calling it a company with “extremely large potential” and noting that “very few people have been able to grow companies like Elon has.”
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