Sam Bankman-Fried listed in DOJ pardon database with pending clemency request

Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of FTX, appears to have a pending clemency case in the U.S. Department of Justice's pardon database, according to records reviewed on Monday. The entry lists Bankman-Fried under clemency case number P338490 with a status marked as "Pending," and describes the requested relief as a "Pardon after Completion of Sentence." The filing does not indicate that a pardon has been approved or is under active consideration by the White House, and clemency applications can remain pending for years without action.

Bankman-Fried is currently serving a 25-year federal prison sentence after being convicted in one of the largest financial fraud cases in crypto history. Federal prosecutors accused the former executive of orchestrating schemes that diverted billions of dollars from FTX customers and investors before the exchange collapsed in November 2022. Unlike the pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty to anti-money laundering compliance failures tied to Binance's operations, Bankman-Fried was convicted of fraud-related charges connected to the misuse of customer funds.

The newly surfaced DOJ filing does not identify who submitted the clemency request or whether it was filed directly by Bankman-Fried, his legal representatives, or outside supporters. Reports earlier this year indicated that some figures from the crypto and political worlds had explored the possibility of seeking clemency for Bankman-Fried, though prior reports also said the White House had shown little interest in publicly engaging with the idea.

The clemency filing arrives at a politically sensitive moment for the crypto industry following the recent controversy surrounding Zhao's pardon, which drew criticism from lawmakers and ethics groups. Any discussion of clemency for Bankman-Fried is likely to attract heightened scrutiny, given the scale of the FTX collapse and the billions in customer losses tied to the case.