Disgraced crypto tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried has filed a formal request for a pardon from President Donald Trump to erase the fraud charges tied to his failed cryptocurrency business.
The plea for leniency comes after Trump said in January he was not planning to grant the FTX founder – who has always maintained his innocence of any and all charges of fraud – any clemency.
Bankman-Fried is barely two years into his 25-year sentence after he was convicted of multiple federal charges related to FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange he founded and led, and its related company Alameda Research.
Forbes reports the 34-year-old’s fraudster’s petition appears on the Justice Department Pardon Attorney Office’s public case-status listing, categorized as a request for a “pardon after completion of sentence.”
The co-founder of the now defunct FTX crypto exchange was found guilty of orchestrating a massive fraud scheme that misused customer funds and ultimately cost investors, lenders and customers upwards of $14 billion, as Breitbart News reported.
The exact date of the filing isn’t clear but DOJ records indicate the request for “pardon after completion of sentence” was submitted in 2026 and is pending.
Trump said in a January interview with the New York Times he has “no intention of pardoning” several high-profile people including Bankman-Fried.
The White House has issued no comment on the matter.
As Bankman-Fried cries for mercy and understanding from Trump, it is worth noting another infamous fraudster, Bernard “Bernie” Madoff,” was sentenced to 150 years in prison for his multi-billion dollar fraud scheme.