Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of FTX, has taken the significant step of formally requesting a pardon from President Trump, as indicated by information from the Justice Department’s Pardon Attorney Office website.
Currently serving a 25-year prison sentence due to convictions for fraud and money laundering in 2024, Bankman-Fried’s pardon application was initially reported by Bloomberg News.
The Context of the Pardon Request
Trump’s presidency saw him grant pardons to hundreds of individuals during his second term. While a significant portion of these pardons were awarded to those involved in the January 6 Capitol riot, many recipients were also individuals convicted of financial crimes. A NBC News analysis from January revealed that over half of the pardons issued were directed at individuals guilty of white-collar offenses, including money laundering, bank fraud, and wire fraud.
Patterns in Trump’s Pardoning Decisions
Notably, Trump has a history of pardoning individuals who have made substantial donations to his political campaigns. According to Bloomberg, very few of the individuals granted pardons during his administration submitted the official application to the Justice Department.
