Two US senators, Rubén Gallego (D-AZ) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), have introduced a bipartisan resolution opposing any presidential pardon for Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The non-binding measure, introduced Wednesday, declares that Bankman-Fried, who was convicted on seven fraud and conspiracy counts and sentenced to 25 years in prison, should not receive federal clemency.
The resolution comes after Bankman-Fried formally petitioned the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney for a pardon. His conviction and sentence were recently upheld by the Second Circuit, leaving a presidential pardon as his only remaining legal recourse besides an appeal to the Supreme Court. The jury found him guilty of defrauding FTX customers, who lost over $8 billion.
President Trump previously stated in January that he had no plans to pardon Bankman-Fried, but the senators' resolution reflects ongoing concerns about the possibility of clemency.
