Sam Bankman-Fried, the former FTX CEO serving a 25-year prison sentence, has stated he would welcome a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. In an interview, he denied stealing user funds and claimed FTX customers are recovering more than their original deposits. The platform’s native token, FTT, surged over 50% following the report.
Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has revealed he “absolutely” wants a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. The former FTX CEO confirmed this in a phone interview but declined to say if his family is lobbying for clemency.
Bankman-Fried was sentenced in March 2024 following FTX’s collapse in November 2022. He was convicted on multiple counts including wire fraud and conspiracy.
Court findings revealed FTX customers lost around $8 billion. Investors and lenders to Alameda Research lost approximately $1.7 billion and $1.3 billion respectively.
Despite his conviction, Bankman-Fried challenged the case’s narrative. He claimed he had not stolen user funds and pointed to ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.
He estimated some users may have received up to 170% of their initial balance. This meant the platform was ultimately “over-collateralized,” according to his statement.
FTT, the native token of the FTX exchange, reacted with an instant price uptick after the interview. The token is currently up over 50% daily, trading around $0.37 for the first time in nearly a month.
