Donald Trump delivered four major pardons on Friday: Nikola’s Trevor Milton and the three BitMex founders. Milton was charged with securities fraud, while the BitMex creators were charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act. With these pardons, the focus now shifts to Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF).
President Trump has delivered several notable pardons during his second term. He pardoned all January 6 rioters and suggested creating a compensation fund for them this week.
He freed Trevor Milton, a Republican donor and founder of Nikola, a bankrupt electric and hydrogen truck builder. Milton was sentenced to serve four years in prison. On the same day, he pardoned the founders of BitMex, including Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed.
Now, the focus shifts to Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), whose parents have appealed to the president to pardon their son. Bankman-Fried, popularly known as SBF, is serving a 25-year sentence for his role in the collapse of the FTX exchange. He has appealed his sentence, arguing that he was judged too quickly.
At its peak, FTX was the second-biggest crypto exchange in the United States in terms of valuation. It collapsed in 2022 after CoinDesk reported that most of its assets were dominated in the FTX token (FTT). The company was also accused of commingling customer funds.
Proponents for pardoning SBF note that most of his customers and creditors have received their cash back. The FTX Estate is currently returning over $16 billion to these creditors.
Donald Trump has recently become fascinated by the crypto industry and has appointed pro-crypto leaders in key departments, including the SEC. He created Official Trump, a meme coin, and World Liberty Financial (WLFI).
Therefore, while it is too early to predict, a SBF pardon cannot be ruled out, potentially at the end of Donald Trump’s term. SBF and his lawyers have done a few things to attract Trump’s attention. For example, SBF recently held a 40-minute interview with Tucker Carlson, a top Trump ally.
READ MORE: Here’s Why ADA, PEPE, FLOKI, SHIB, and Altcoin Prices Plunged
