Sam Bankman-Fried's parents are asking President Trump for a pardon in their son's case. Trump recently pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, but Bankman-Fried may be a tougher case.
SBF contributed millions to defeat Trump's 2020 presidential campaign and was sentenced to prison less than a year ago. For these and other reasons, an acquittal seems much less likely.
Can SBF receive a pardon?
Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), one of the most notorious criminals in recent crypto history, could receive a pardon from the US president. According to a report from Bloomberg, his father, Joseph Bankman, and mother, Barbara Fried, are leading the effort.
Both are law professors and have consulted with figures close to Trump.
Since Donald Trump returned to office, he has been fulfilling his obligations to the crypto community. He even pardoned Ross Ulbricht on his second day in office, fulfilling a campaign promise.
Ulbricht’s mother was a key figure in the petition for the pardon, and SBF’s parents want to use the same strategy. In fact, given Trump’s initial series of pardons, he’s facing a lot of backlogs.
“I’m hearing from people in prison, from people recently sentenced who haven’t yet turned themselves in to the Bureau of Prisons, from people who have been indicted. They’re looking for someone who knows someone,” said Jeffrey Grant, who runs a New York law and consulting firm for white-collar criminals. He has received about 100 requests for pardons.
Rumors of a pardon for SBF have circulated a few times since Trump won the presidential election, but nothing has come to fruition. In fact, it may be much more difficult than Ulbricht's forgiveness.
Too early for SBF to receive pardon?
For example, the new U.S. Attorney in the SDNY promised that his office would stop a crypto crackdown, but only after defeating the Bankman-Fried appeal.
In other words, even as the legal system tries to ease up on crypto criminals, Bankman-Fried’s case is still very new. He was convicted less than a year ago, while Ulbricht has spent more than a decade behind bars.
If Trump grants a pardon to SBF anytime soon, it could directly encourage large-scale financial crimes.
In my opinion, SBF will be pardoned and released. There are more truths to be revealed. Nothing is what it seems and it is definitely not what you have been told. Keep an eye out. The real criminals will be exposed, said Martin Folb.
Furthermore, prior to his arrest, Ulbricht was a libertarian with no strong affiliation to any political party. Bankman-Fried, on the other hand, was a major Democratic donor who directly contributed millions to defeat Donald Trump in 2020.
SBF contra Trump
If SBF wants Trump to pardon him now, his contributions to Republicans may not be enough to wipe away the resentment. In other words, it doesn't seem particularly likely that SBF will receive a pardon any time soon.
Reports suggest that his parents consulted a lawyer who helped several clients receive clemency during Trump’s first term. They were told that “Trump is busy with other things” and should contact him again in a month.
The article Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents ask for Trump’s pardon was first seen on BeInCrypto Brasil.
