BlockBeats News, January 9th, in an interview with The New York Times, former U.S. President Trump explicitly stated that he would not consider pardoning FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). SBF was convicted in 2023 of embezzlement of customer funds, financial fraud, and other charges, becoming one of the most iconic criminal cases in the crypto industry.
In the interview, Trump mentioned that when asked by reporters whether several high-profile inmates could be pardoned by the president, SBF was among them but was explicitly excluded. Trump stated that he had no intention of exercising his pardon power for individuals including SBF.
Reports also revealed that musician Sean Combs (Diddy) had written to Trump requesting a pardon but was similarly rejected. In contrast, Trump has indeed pardoned some political allies in recent years or individuals who support his narrative of “politicized justice,” but SBF is not within his consideration.
Analysis indicates that Trump’s statement implies that in the foreseeable future, the likelihood of SBF being released from prison early through a presidential pardon is very low, and his criminal and civil accountability process will continue, continuing to have a profound impact on compliance and regulatory discussions in the crypto industry.
