Sam Bankman-Fried Requests Trump Pardon, FTT Surges
- Sam Bankman-Fried filed a formal pardon request with the DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney on June 8, 2026.
- FTT jumped roughly 50% intraday following the news of the filing.
- President Donald Trump publicly rejected pardoning Bankman-Fried twice in early and mid-2026 due to the scale of the $11 billion FTX fraud.
- Bankman-Fried’s pardon request is for “pardon after completion of sentence,” allowing restoration of certain civil rights post-sentence.
- Prosecutors described the FTX collapse as one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history, leading to Bankman-Fried’s conviction and sentencing to a prison term.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s formal pardon request introduces a new development in his legal saga, despite President Trump’s previous rejections due to the significant impact of the FTX fraud case. The market reacted swiftly with a notable surge in FTT token value upon news of the filing.
The pardon request does not seek early release but aims for potential restoration of civil rights after sentence completion, marking a strategic legal move by Bankman-Fried’s team amid ongoing political dynamics surrounding his case.(Source )
