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Sam Bankman-Fried Files Formal Pardon Petition With DOJ

The petition is listed as a 'pardon after completion of sentence' on the Justice Department’s portal, leaving clemency uncertain given the president’s stated opposition to a pardon.

Overview

  • The Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney shows a pending clemency filing from Sam Bankman-Fried, recorded as a “pardon after completion of sentence,” following reports first published June 8.
  • Bankman-Fried is serving a 25-year federal sentence after a 2023 conviction on fraud and conspiracy charges and is pursuing an independent appeal of his conviction and sentence.
  • A 'pardon after completion' would not shorten his prison term but could restore civil rights and remove post‑sentence barriers to jobs, licenses, housing, and voting if granted.
  • From prison he has publicly sought clemency and used approved communications to align with positions of the current administration while family advisers have reportedly explored contacts in Washington.
  • The request arrives in a politically charged clemency environment where the president has already granted high-profile crypto and white-collar pardons, but he has said he does not plan to pardon Bankman-Fried.