Words that landed 'Crypto King' behind $10B scam in solitary confinement
He was convicted of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering
One of the most notorious cryptocurrency criminals has just landed himself a term on solitary confinement, and the exact words that led to that decision being made have now been revealed.
The unregulated nature of cryptocurrency often leads to a close relationship with crime, as everything from 'pump and dump' schemes to terrorist money laundering have used the digital coins for financial gain.
One of the most notorious cases involved a man known as the 'Crypto King', as FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced in 2023 to 25 years in prison on seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering.
Specifically, Bankman-Fried misappropriated billions of dollars worth of customer funds deposited through FTX, defrauding users for a total of $1.7 billion in addition to another $1.3 billion defrauded through his cryptocurrency trading fund Alameda.
Advert
While he does share a prison with a number of other notably wealthy individuals – including Sean "Diddy" Combs, who Bankman-Fried claimed has been 'kind' to him – one recent activity has left the crypto baron with the punishment of solitary confinement.
As reported by the Independent, it's all related to an interview he conducted with former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson while inside the slammer, as it appears he didn't obtain the proper permissions and has now been punished for it.
His conversation took place over a video call while in a side room of the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center last week – coincidentally on Bankman-Fried's 33rd birthday – and it appears as if he is trying to attract the attention of President Trump, possibly in the hopes of earning political clemency.
This certainly wouldn't be an outlier across Trump's second stint in the Oval Office, as he hasn't just pardoned over 1,600 individuals but notably provided clemency to another crypto criminal, despite seemingly having no idea who he was.
"I don't think I'm a criminal," Bankman-Fried claimed to Carlson during the interview, asserting that he turned his back on the Democratic Party 'years ago', developing a stronger relationship with the Republicans in the time since.
"In 2020, I was center-left and I gave to Biden's campaign," he revealed. "I was optimistic he would be a center-left president... [but] I was really, really shocked by what I saw there... and not in a good direction."
A federal case against Bankman-Fried revealed that he planned for his interview with Tucker Carlson to be a 'comeback' of sorts where he would 'come out' as a Republican, but it's yet to bear fruit in the way that he might have anticipated, as there's no signs right now that Trump is preparing to send a pardon his way.