US President Donald Trump reportedly has no plans to pardon former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), despite issuing a wave of clemency since returning to office.
In his first year back as President, Trump has granted hundreds of pardons and commutations. This includes several high-profile figures in the cryptocurrency industry.
Sam Bankman-Fried Is Not Getting a Presidential Pardon
In a recent interview with The New York Times, President Donald Trump made it clear that a presidential pardon for Bankman-Fried is unlikely. The President also referenced several prominent cases where he has no intention of granting a pardon.
This includes former New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Bankman-Fried received a 25-year prison sentence after being convicted on several counts of fraud and conspiracy tied to the collapse of the FTX exchange. Despite the conviction, efforts to secure clemency have continued.
In January, Bloomberg reported that his parents launched outreach efforts aimed at securing a pardon from Trump. The former FTX CEO renewed those efforts in February 2025 during his first interview from prison with The New York Sun.
“I viewed myself at the time as sort of center-left, and that’s not how I view myself anymore. By 2022, I had spent a bunch of time in Washington, D.C., working with legislators, regulators, and the executive branch, and I became really frustrated and disappointed with what I saw of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party. Particularly on crypto policy, the Biden administration was just incredibly destructive and difficult to work with. I think my case fits into that broader context,” SBF stated.
Bankman-Fried has also filed an appeal seeking to overturn his 25-year sentence. For now, he is serving his sentence at a low-security prison near Los Angeles. SBF is eligible for release in October 2044.
Spotlight on Trump’s Crypto Pardons in 2025
While Bankman-Fried’s pardon hopes have been dashed, Trump has signaled openness to clemency in other crypto-related cases. The President recently said he would “look at” the case of Samourai Wallet CEO Keonne Rodriguez.
Notably, Trump has issued three high-profile crypto-related pardons in 2025:
Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, was pardoned in January 2025.
In March, Trump also pardoned the co-founders of BitMEX, Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed, as well as Gregory Dwyer, the former head of business development.
Lastly, the President’s October 2025 pardon cleared Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) of his 2023 conviction.
Zhao’s pardon drew substantial criticism from some industry executives as well as regulators. Seven Senate Democrats called for an investigation into the decision. Lawmakers, including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, questioned whether Trump-backed World Liberty Financial and its reported ties to Binance played any role in the decision.
