The parents of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried are exploring ways to obtain a pardon from President Trump for their disgraced crypto-billionaire son who is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence, according to a report.
Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, both Stanford Law School professors, have met with lawyers and other figures in Trump’s orbit about a clemency deal for Bankman-Fried, 32, who was found guilty of stealing more than $8 billion from customers of his now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange in November 2023, Bloomberg reported.
It is unclear if the couple has reached out directly to the White House to discuss a pardon, according to the outlet.
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Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried are reportedly exploring ways to obtain a pardon from President Trump for their convicted crypto-fraudster son, Sam Bankman-Fried. Gabriella BassThe White House, Bankman and Fried and a lawyer for SBF, who also filed a legal appeal on his 2023 charges tied to the collapse of FTX, did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
The Post has also reached out for comment.
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Trump’s swift pardon of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht has encouraged a slew of white-collar convicts, like Bankman-Fried, to put their cases in front of the president, the outlet said.
Bankman-Fried has claimed his sentence imposed in March 2024 was “draconian” because FTX clients got back most of the money they lost and continually asserted he was a victim of market downturn.
Former FTX executive, Ryan Salame, who was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for campaign finance law violations, is also seeking a pardon, Bloomberg reported.
It is yet to be seen if SBF would have an easier time bargaining for a pardon than Ulbricht, a so-called champion of the free market. Trump has a reputation for supporting cryptocurrencies — with the industry soaring since he’s taken office.
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Bankman-Fried has claimed his 25-year sentence imposed in March 2024 was “draconian.” Alec Tabak
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It is unclear whether Bankman-Fried’s parents have reached out directly to the White House to discuss a pardon. Getty ImagesHe was also adjudicated for sexual assault and defamation lawsuits brought by New York writer E. Jean Carroll by the same judge who sent