Sam Bankman-Fried bets on Trump crypto pardon in latest prison rant

Sam Bankman-Fried follows a 2023 media playbook from prison, shifting right and praising Trump’s crypto policies as he angles for a long-shot presidential pardon.

Summary

• 2023 Google doc reveals a 12-step media plan drafted after Bankman-Fried’s arrest, including targeted interviews and conservative media outreach.
• Prison messages now portray him as a Republican backing Trump’s crypto policies while attacking Biden’s regulatory approach.
• Legal experts see his appeal and retrial bid as weak, leaving a potential Trump pardon as his most realistic path to reduce a decades-long sentence.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, appears to be implementing a media strategy outlined in a document written shortly after his January 2023 arrest, according to court records and recent communications from prison.

A Google document dated January 15, 2023, entered into public domain through sentencing submissions, detailed 12 tactics Bankman-Fried considered to generate favorable media coverage following his indictment, arrest, extradition and arraignment by U.S. authorities.

FTC collapse

The document included proposals such as appearing on conservative media outlets, conducting interviews with author Michael Lewis, engaging in debates with financial commentators, and issuing statements against competing cryptocurrency exchanges, according to the court filing that contributed to his 25-year prison sentence.

A jury convicted Bankman-Fried on seven criminal charges related to the collapse of FTX. Prosecutors alleged he misappropriated $8 billion in customer funds. He filed an appeal in 2023 and submitted a pro se retrial request for 2026.

Recent communications from prison, transmitted through a proxy, show Bankman-Fried stating he became a Republican in 2022 and expressing support for former President Donald Trump‘s cryptocurrency policies while criticizing the Biden administration’s approach to cryptocurrency regulation and other policy matters.

Streaming commentator Atrioc noted the timing of these communications, stating they appeared designed to seek a presidential pardon. Trump has issued pardons to several figures in the cryptocurrency industry, including Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht and former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao.

Legal experts consider Bankman-Fried’s appeals and retrial requests unlikely to succeed based on standard appellate procedures. A presidential pardon remains a potential avenue for sentence commutation, though no indication exists that such consideration is under review.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons lists Bankman-Fried as an inmate with a projected release date in the 2040s, barring successful appeal or executive clemency.