FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried has formally requested a pardon from the Trump administration.

On June 8, Decrypt reported that Bankman-Fried submitted a pardon application under procedures overseen by the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney.

Bankman-Fried is serving a 25-year sentence after being convicted in 2024 on fraud and conspiracy charges. The office’s website lists his filing as a "pardon after completion of sentence" application. As the name suggests, this process seeks a pardon after a sentence is served, meaning the filing is not made public and a review can take months or years.

The specific grounds for the request have not been confirmed. The application is a confidential document, so details cannot be checked from outside. The Office of the Pardon Attorney confirmed that applicants under this category must first complete their sentences.

In a recent phone interview from prison with Fox Business, Bankman-Fried was asked, "Would you accept it if President Trump pardoned you?" He replied, "Of course." He said the decision was not his and added, "Ultimately, it is up to the president."

Asked whether he had direct contact with the White House, he drew a line. Bankman-Fried said he had not spoken directly with White House officials, but said he could not comment on whether his parents or people close to him had made contact.

He also maintained his existing stance on the case. He claimed he was innocent and said, "I did not steal user funds." He also said customers were ultimately repaid in full through the bankruptcy process, while arguing that it was a major problem that the process took 3 years.

In the market and political circles, some have responded that his push for a pardon had already been detected months ago. Bankman-Fried’s X account posted in February in support of the Clarity Act, a U.S. crypto market structure bill, drawing attention from senators in both the Democratic and Republican parties. At the time, Senator Cynthia Lummis responded publicly, saying, "Someone is angling for a pardon," and added, "Your support is neither needed nor wanted."

A variable is President Trump’s previous stance. Trump has previously denied the possibility of pardoning Bankman-Fried. By contrast, there is precedent for pardons involving figures in the crypto industry. Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, BitMEX co-founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed, and Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao received pardons from Trump.

Even in terms of sentence length, any actual release remains distant. Bankman-Fried has served just over 2 years so far. The outlet reported that experts who analysed the sentencing at the time expected he would serve at least 21.25 years. As a result, the application has strong symbolic meaning, but under the system it is difficult for a result to emerge in the short term. The key point going forward has shifted to whether the type of application now filed can function as a channel for actual pardon discussions, rather than to Trump’s political judgment.