Sam Bankman-Fried says he’s a victim of political bias in jailhouse interview

FTX executives who cooperated with prosecutors got lenient sentences due to the fact that they were Democrats, disgraced CEO Sam Bankman-Fried suggested successful a caller interview with the New York Sun.

Speaking from Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, Bankman-Fried maintained his innocence and told the Sun his prosecution was partially motivated by his rightward crook and the “politicization” of the Department of Justice nether erstwhile President Joe Biden.

“It was starting to travel retired that I’d been moving with Republicans a batch much than had been antecedently thought,” helium said successful a recording of the interrogation published online.

Bankman-Fried’s comments travel arsenic his parents effort to unafraid a pardon from President Donald Trump, according to a caller report from Bloomberg.

Bankman-Fried is serving a 25 twelvemonth situation sentence for his relation successful the multibillion-dollar illness of FTX. In November 2023, a assemblage found the erstwhile billionaire defrauded FTX customers by taking their deposits and spending the wealth connected task investments, luxury existent estate, and governmental donations done a hedge money helium controlled, Alameda Research. He is appealing his conviction.

Once considered a budding Democratic mega-donor, Bankman-Fried has been distancing himself from progressive authorities since his crypto empire began to unravel successful November 2022.

This week, Bankman-Fried went adjacent further, suggesting helium and President Donald Trump were some victims of “politicization” of the Department of Justice.

Trump fought dozens of civilian and transgression lawsuits successful the tally up to the 2024 statesmanlike election, astatine 1 constituent appearing successful beforehand of the aforesaid justice that sentenced Bankman-Fried: Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York.

“I cognize president Trump had a batch of frustrations with Judge Kaplan,” Bankman-Fried said. “I surely did arsenic well.”

Bankman-Fried said helium erstwhile considered himself “center-left.” But helium became disillusioned with the enactment aft seeing Biden’s “incredibly destructive” attack to crypto.

“That’s not however I presumption myself anymore, and it’s present however I’d travel to presumption myself by 2022,” helium said.

Three of Bankman-Fried’s closest associates pleaded blameworthy and testified against him astatine his trial. All 3 were rewarded for their cooperation: two dodged situation sentences, and the third, erstwhile Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison, is serving 2 years successful prison.

That was grounds the proceedings had go political, according to Bankman-Fried.

That’s due to the fact that a 4th enforcement and Republican donor, Ryan Salame, received much than seven years successful prison.

But Salame was the lone 1 who hadn’t testified against his erstwhile brag during Bankman-Fried’s proceedings successful October 2023.

Bankman-Fried repeated his assertion FTX suffered from a “liquidity crisis” alternatively than insolvency — that it could person repaid customers if it had been fixed capable clip to merchantability immoderate of its assets.

It was an statement helium made astatine his sentencing proceeding past March, with small success.

“A thief who takes his loot to Las Vegas and successfully bets the stolen wealth is not entitled to a discount connected his sentence,” Kaplan said astatine the time.

Later successful his jailhouse interview, Bankman-Fried spoke astir his acquisition down bars.

“The days spell by successful a beauteous undifferentiated manner. There isn’t a full batch to bash successful prison,” helium said.

Asked what helium misses the astir astir being a escaped man, helium said “freedom of information.”

“Just being capable to Google things is thing I really, sorely miss,” helium told the Sun. “And past connected the flip side, being capable to enactment connected thing meaningful.”

Although he’s “cautiously optimistic” astir his appeal, helium tries not to dwell connected what beingness extracurricular of situation mightiness look like.

“I effort not to deliberation astir it excessively overmuch close now, due to the fact that there’s thing I tin do,” helium said.

“I mean, close present I’ve got 20-something years near connected my sentence.”

Aleks Gilbert is DL News’ New York-based DeFi Correspondent. Reach retired to him with tips astatine [email protected].