Trump Denies Pardon to SBF Despite 5 High-Profile Crypto Clemencies in 2025
Former FTX big-shot Sam Bankman-Fried will be stuck behind bars, despite a concerted push from his family and even himself...
Quick overview
- Sam Bankman-Fried will serve a 25-year sentence for his role in the FTX scandal, with no chance of a presidential pardon from Donald Trump.
- Despite efforts from SBF and his family to secure a pardon, Trump has been selective in granting clemency to other high-profile figures in the crypto space.
- The pardon of Binance's CEO, Changpeng Zhao, has raised concerns among Democrats about potential political favoritism and the influence of lobbyists.
- The situation highlights the growing complexities in the relationship between the government and the cryptocurrency industry.
Former FTX big-shot Sam Bankman-Fried will be stuck behind bars, despite a concerted push from his family and even himself to get a presidential pardon. According to a chat with the New York Times, President Donald Trump laid it out – SBF’s 25-year sentence for the FTX fiasco which also saw him get caught up in some conspiracy charges, is not getting any shorter.
- SBF’s getting 25 years; he’s good as gold to be released in October 2044.
- SBF’s folks had been knocking on doors in Washington, D.C. as far back as January 2025, trying to get that pardon.
- Then SBF himself went to see him in February 2025, trying to make a case for himself
SBF took a shot at the Biden administration’s crypto policies, saying they were an obstacle course he had to deal with when he was in Washington. He also reckons his case highlights a broader systemic issue with how crypto is policed. But even as SBF has filed an appeal to get his sentence overturned he’s still stuck in a low-security joint near LA.
Trump’s Pardon for Crypto
While SBF’s got bad news, President Trump has been handing out clemency to some pretty high-profile figures in the crypto space this year. His pardon spree seems to be selective, so we’re getting the sense that he’s not just handing them out like candy to all the crypto guys who got in trouble.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 President Trump shows no interest in pardoning crypto exchange FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried – NYT reports. pic.twitter.com/VMwlWCNofq
— CryptoTweets | Whale Watch (@CryptoTweetsWW) January 8, 2026
Some of the big names he’s pardoned this year include:
- Ross Ulbricht – the founder of Silk Road, back in January 2025.
- BitMEX co-founders: Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed – all in March 2025.
- Gregory Dwyer – BitMEX’s former head honcho – also March 2025.
- Changpeng Zhao (CZ) – the big cheese at Binance – October 2025.
But Trump told the press he might take another look at the case of Keonne Rodriguez, who runs Samourai Wallet – so maybe there will be more pardons to come.
Trouble Surrounding CZ’s Pardon
The pardon of Binance’s CZ has got some people’s noses out of joint. Seven Democrats in the Senate have asked for a full investigation – they reckon Trump’s got ties to World Liberty Financial that are a problem. Some pretty big names like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are also asking questions whether this stuff influenced the decision
- Raising eyebrows over whether Trump is playing favourites in the pardon game.
- Highlighting how the dance between the government and the crypto industry is getting increasingly complicated.
- Just underlining the tension between keeping an eye on how these companies work and the lobbyists who try and influence politicians.
Whatever way you cut it though, Trump’s selective pardons just reinforce that this is a calculated game.
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