Bankman-Fried's Conviction Appeal Rejected, Expresses Interest in Trump Pardon

Sam Bankman-Fried, the former FTX crypto billionaire convicted of fraud in 2023, has lost his bid to overturn his conviction and 25-year prison sentence. A New York jury found him guilty on two charges of wire fraud and five conspiracy counts for his actions while running FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange that went bankrupt in 2022 after being valued at over $26 billion.

Bankman-Fried pleaded his case to a three-judge panel of Manhattan's 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but they unanimously rejected his plea, stating the evidence against him was 'conservatively stated, robust.'

The court cited Bankman-Fried's use of FTX as his own personal piggy bank, spending customer funds on real estate, political contributions, and investments while publicly reassuring customers that their funds were safe.

Bankman-Fried also expressed interest in a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, saying 'absolutely' he would be interested, but it's up to the president.