Michael Avenatti, Sam Bankman-Fried’s former prison bunkmate, publicly slammed the FTX founder’s bid for a Trump pardon on Monday, saying SBF refused to accept responsibility and never once admitted wrongdoing.
Avenatti posted hours after it became public that Bankman-Fried had formally submitted a pardon application to the DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney, escalating his long-shot campaign for early release.
No Accountability from the FTX Founder
Avenatti wrote that the two argued repeatedly inside prison about Bankman-Fried’s refusal to acknowledge his crimes. Not once, he said, did SBF admit he had done anything wrong.
Avenatti argued that without that acknowledgment, Bankman-Fried could not legitimately earn a pardon.
The statement carries unusual credibility. As a fellow convicted fraudster who shared a cell with Bankman-Fried, Avenatti spoke from direct personal observation rather than outside commentary.
SBF’s formal pardon filing caps months of pro-Trump social media posts and prison interviews. Bankman-Fried has maintained his innocence, arguing FTX faced a liquidity crisis rather than deliberate fraud.
Courts found him guilty in November 2023 of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy, and a judge sentenced him to 25 years, plus $11 billion in forfeiture, in March 2024.
Why Avenatti’s Sentence Puts SBF’s Pardon in Context
Avenatti himself served time for defrauding clients. He also embezzled roughly $300,000 from Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress he once represented as an attorney. A judge sentenced him to 14 years, later reduced to around 11, and ordered him to repay $7 million.
At his sentencing, Avenatti told the court he was “deeply remorseful and contrite” and hoped his victims would someday forgive him.
He transferred to a halfway house in April 2026, having served his sentence at the same facility as Bankman-Fried. SBF’s ongoing conviction appeal, which argues he was presumed guilty before trial, continues on a separate legal track.
Why the Pardon Odds Remain Low
Trump ruled out SBF clemency in a January 2026 New York Times interview. Courts have also rejected early release requests since his sentencing.
The DOJ will review the application under standard procedures, though presidents can act independently of that process.
While Trump pardoned other crypto figures, including Ross Ulbricht and Binance’s Changpeng Zhao, SBF’s case has drawn little sympathy from pro-crypto Republicans.
Polymarket puts his 2026 pardon odds at just 7%, and Avenatti’s first-hand account of unrepentant prison conversations gives critics fresh ammunition.
The post Former Inmate Speaks Out After Sam Bankman-Fried Files for Trump Pardon appeared first on BeInCrypto.
