The parents of disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried are reportedly scheming to get Sam pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Stanford Law School Professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried reportedly had meetings recently with lawyers and others in Trump’s orbit to have Sam Bankman-Fried receive clemency.
Bankman-Fried was sentenced last March to 25 years after being convicted of five counts of conspiracy and two counts of wire fraud.
The former CEO of the digital currency exchange FTX has made the case that his sentence was “draconian” as FTX customers have largely recovered most of the money they had lost.
Ryan Salame, a former FTX executive who was sentenced to more than seven years in prison, also seeks a pardon.
It may also be more difficult for Bankman-Fried to receive clemency, as his parents have reportedly “exploited their access and influence” to make money from FTX.
Breitbart News reported in November 2023:
Bankman and Fried’s own involvement with FTX, and the perks they received before the digital currency platform went bankrupt, have also opened them up to a civil trial filed by the bankrupt company.
FTX has sued Bankman-Fried’s parents to recover the millions of dollars they received. The lawsuit claims that Fried and Bankman “fraudulently transferred and misappropriated funds,” and also alleges that Bankman-Fried’s mother helped him direct millions of dollars of political donations.
FTX claims that Bankman and Fried, both Stanford Law School professors, “exploited their access and influence within the FTX enterprise to enrich themselves.”
Sam Mangel, a white-collar prison consultant, said he was working on many clemency requests. He had previously worked for Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, and has received guidance from Trump world about how to pitch potential clemency.
“I was told not to bring any sex crimes, true crimes of violence or illegal immigration cases,” he explained.
Although Trump has pardoned some MAGA allies such as Bannon, it may be more difficult for a Democrat megadonor such as Bankman-Fried to received clemency.
Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor who has helped many receive clemency during Trump’s first term, said he has also received many calls from those seeking aid.
“I said call me back in a month. Right now Trump is busy doing other things,” Dershowitz added.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
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