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Crime The Media

Sam Bankman-Fried Gives a Jailhouse Interview, Seeking a Pardon (msn.com) 53

Posted by EditorDavid from the get-out-of-jail-free dept.
Sam Bankman-Fried — one of the largest donors to the Democratic Party — "was convicted of fraud, sentenced to 25 years in prison and mostly went silent," reports the Wall Street Journal. "Until recently..." Now, from behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Bankman-Fried is orchestrating an extraordinary public-relations blitz that looks very much like a campaign to make the most audacious trade of his career: support for President Trump's agenda in return for a presidential pardon...

There is little downside to Bankman-Fried's long-shot effort to secure a pardon. As the appeal that he filed last year works its way through the courts, Bankman-Fried, 33, is staring down a prison sentence that could extend until his 50s... The crowning touch of his campaign came on Thursday, when Bankman-Fried gave a jailhouse interview to "The Tucker Carlson Show," which was released on social-media channels including X and YouTube. Appearing on video in a brown jumpsuit, he criticized Washington bureaucrats and crypto regulators — and suggested that he went to prison out of political retribution... [Carlson's title for the interview? "Sam Bankman-Fried on Life in Prison With Diddy, and How Democrats Stole His Money and Betrayed Him."]

The interview hadn't been approved by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, according to a person familiar with the matter. Bankman-Fried spoke with Carlson through a link that is typically used by inmates to communicate with their lawyers, the person said. After the interview, Bankman-Fried was placed in solitary confinement, but he was out by Friday afternoon, according to a person familiar with the matter... Bankman-Fried is trying to highlight in media appearances and in any interaction with Trump's team that FTX customers are set to be made whole with interest through the bankruptcy proceedings — at least in dollar terms. Many of those creditors remain furious that they missed out on bitcoin's rally since November 2022.
Bankman-Fried "wants to set the record straight on his political beliefs, which he believes have been misconstrued," according to the article. "While he has given heavily to Democrats, he has also donated to Republican causes, including the contribution of millions to a group supporting Senator Mitch McConnell."

But the New York Times, citing "people with knowledge" of his pardon-seeking efforts, reported that "So far, the push does not appear to have gained traction."

Sam Bankman-Fried Gives a Jailhouse Interview, Seeking a Pardon More | Reply

Sam Bankman-Fried Gives a Jailhouse Interview, Seeking a Pardon

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  • So even more proof of what sensible people have always known about Corporate Democrats and Corporate Republicans. There's an old saying that sums up Bankman-Fried perfectly: It doesn't matter whether it's saltwater or freshwater, sh^t floats.

  • Just buy some $Trump (Score:3)

    by TheMiddleRoad ( 1153113 ) on Saturday March 08, 2025 @02:19PM (#65220105)

    Money in pocket. Pardon in hand.

  • Except he’s no longer rich, and his parents probably don’t have enough to make the required bribe er I mean voluntary contribution to Trump.org.

    That being said, Trump pardoned Rod Blagoevich, and that’s just so random that it makes my head spin. The only way I can understand that one is that Trump perceived a fellow corrupt/conman in trouble and felt an actual flash of sympathy. So, on that score, a Trump pardon for SBF is actually possible.
    • Trump had previously commuted Blagojevich's sentence at the end of his first term in office after he had already served 8 years (of the 14 he was sentenced to) so it's not that strange for Trump to grant him a pardon. It was more symbolic than anything. I would imagine Trump knew him from long ago for whatever reason. People forget that Trump was previously a Democrat (or at least registered as one) before he essentially took over the Republican party. That was during the same time frame that Blagojevich wa

  • Missed opportunity (Score:3, Interesting)

    by backslashdot ( 95548 ) on Saturday March 08, 2025 @02:25PM (#65220117)

    So he gets an interview with Tucker Carlson, and while he did disavow and disparage Democrats, he failed to spend the other 90% of the interview talking about how great it would be to suck Trump's dick. He's not getting a pardon. Not unless he fixes his act and gives more interviews. Seems that's his only play here .. keep granting pro-Trump anti-Democrat interviews and making conservatives podcasters rich until the conspiracy nutters can latch onto his cause.

    • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

      by rsilvergun ( 571051 )
      Honestly all he has to do is buy a few million of one of Trump's many many cryptocurrency grifts and the pardon will come. I forget the guy's name but there was a crypto bro who had stoled millions and got a pardon from Trump after buying a bunch of the last meme coin Trump throughout there.

      Pardons are 100% for sale. Trump doesn't think Americans will be allowed to vote in two and again four years. Honestly we have solid evidence that 7 million Americans were prevented from voting last election and the

    • ...how great it would be to suck Trump's dick.

      That's the same metaphor that comes to mind, when I think of Kevin McCarthy flying down to Mar A Lago to make amends after he criticizing Trump for fomenting an attack on the Capitol.

    • Not unless he fixes his act and gives more interviews. Seems that's his only play here .. keep granting pro-Trump anti-Democrat interviews and making conservatives podcasters rich until the conspiracy nutters can latch onto his cause.

      Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the felon trump's legal system. Obviously guilty? Please pander to the the lowly trash for a chance at a pardon. It helps to grease the wheels, ladies and gentlemen.

  • I mean, if you are convicted to 25 years for fraud, it's a given that you have money, lots of it, stashed somewhere. What is not normal is that you can use it to bribe your way out. Any money you try to use should be confiscated right out. No ?

  • Probably doesn't get pardoned (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Powercntrl ( 458442 ) on Saturday March 08, 2025 @02:27PM (#65220127) Homepage

    Trump will give you a pardon if you get in trouble while kissing his ass, not competing with him. Since Trump is currently running his own crypto scam [coinbase.com], as they say in old westerns "This town ain't big enough for the two of us!"

    (I'm still not used to the idea that we're living in a timeline where the president is hawking his own shitcoin and we're somehow collectively fine with that.)

    • Re:Probably doesn't get pardoned (Score:5, Insightful)

      by fahrbot-bot ( 874524 ) on Saturday March 08, 2025 @02:56PM (#65220171)

      Trump will give you a pardon if you get in trouble while kissing his ass, not competing with him.

      A pardon, or military assistance. This is Zelenskyy's problem. Listening to that Oval Office meeting (ambush) between them, it's clear that Trump's butt is still very hurt over (a) Zelenskyy not playing ball to incriminate Biden way back, and his impeachment over it, and (b) Zelenskyy's visit to PA for Democrats during the 2024 campaign -- Trump/Vance mentioned *both* during their tirade against Volodymyr. Trump is very good at holding a grudge and I'm not sure if any amount of smooching will soothe that.

      (I'm still not used to the idea that we're living in a timeline where the president is hawking his own shitcoin and we're somehow collectively fine with that.)

      I'm pretty sure at least 1/2 the country is with you on that and also not fine with it. Remember, Trump only got (about) 49.8% of the popular vote and beat Harris by only (about) 1.5% -- so certainly not a landslide or mandate, contrary to what Trump and those on the Right keep saying.

    • You don't have to ask if you guys are collectively fine with that. You only have to ask if you yourself are fine with that.

      Once you answer that question for yourself (secretly, no need to tell anyone here) then you will become used to the idea of this timeline, and your particular role in it.

      Introspection is a powerful thing.

  • So for this to work, there has to be some kind of benefit to Trump. He's not going to run for president again. In fact, I think he will refuse to step down in 4 years and simply declare himself president again, saying he is "owed" another term because of the "cheating in 2020". But that's another story. So what exactly can SBF give Trump? He's not running again, so he doesn't need SBF's help. As far as I know, Gen Z doesn't worship SBF or think he's been unfairly treated. Maybe if SBF can convi
  • He said FTX in the US was solvent, but he was immediately ousted and the company was announced insolvent. The new CEO didn't even want to talk to him. Wouldn't you at least want to know how money and crypto keys were handled as the new CEO? I'm not absolving Sam of his screw up, but his ousting was strange

  • Everyone got duped by Bankman-Fried's big gamble (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Mirnotoriety ( 10462951 ) on Saturday March 08, 2025 @03:18PM (#65220211)
    Everyone got duped by Sam Bankman-Fried's big gamble [bbc.co.uk]

    “Over four weeks of trial, two contradictory stories emerged. In one, the former mogul was a brilliant but hapless savant, whose mistakes as CEO allowed for massive fraud to be carried out under his nose. In the other, supported by former members of his inner circle, Bankman-Fried syphoned billions of dollars of customer money, banking on the odds he'd never be caught.”

  • What's extra messed up about this is that SBF knows exactly how dangerous Trump is. This is the same guy who was considering paying Trump a $5B bribe to not run for re-election. [reuters.com] So he's cozying up to one of the (at least potential) great tyrants of history for a get-out-of-jail card with full knowledge of the dangers involved. Either that, or he feels certain enough that the full extent of the damage Trump can do to the world is already unavoidable and his actions can't meaningfully worsen it, which is pret

  • Donating to Mitch McConnell will not score any points with republicans.

  • No, he needs to do Ross time.

  • Sam violated prison terms and conditions by conducting an illegal interview ... over a cellphon: a double-whammy.

    As a result, he is back into month-long and dark solitary.

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