Ex-FTX CEO moved to transit facility after interview

Officials with the Federal Bureau of Prisons have moved former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried to a transit facility days after political commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed him.

As of March 27, the bureau’s website showed Bankman-Fried was being housed at the Federal Transfer Center (FTC) in Oklahoma City, suggesting he may be moved from the facility where he was incarcerated while awaiting trial and then moving forward with an appeal of his conviction.

Carlson remotely interviewed Bankman-Fried, commonly known as SBF, from the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York on March 5 — a reportedly unsanctioned event that resulted in the former FTX CEO being sent to solitary confinement. 

Former FTX CEO’s status as of March 27. Source: US Bureau of Prisons

The reason for the move to the Oklahoma transit facility was unclear. After Bankman-Fried’s 2023 conviction on seven felony charges and 2024 sentencing to 25 years in prison, a federal judge recommended that the former CEO remain in the New York area to assist during his appeals process. He was briefly transferred to FTC Oklahoma City in May 2024 before being returned to MDC Brooklyn.

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Bankman-Fried has been housed in various facilities since a judge revoked his bail in August 2023 following allegations the former CEO attempted to intimidate witnesses before his criminal trial. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, he is set to be released in November 2044 but could serve less time based on his behavior in prison.

Though Bankman-Fried was essentially silent on social media and public statements during his criminal trial, he recently began giving interviews to conservative media outlets, including Carlson and the New York Sun. Reports have suggested that reaching out to conservative audiences was an attempt by Bankman-Fried to appeal to US President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers, hinting at a federal pardon.

A representative for the US Bureau of Prisons reportedly told The New York Times that SBF’s interview with Carlson was not approved. The former FTX CEO spoke to the right-wing commentator the day before his 33rd birthday, saying, “I don’t think I was a criminal.” He also suggested that former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame — also in prison for his role in the exchange’s downfall — had been charged with “totally bogus crimes,” potentially because of his political leanings. 

Trump has not made any public statement suggesting he was considering a pardon for Bankman-Fried. In one of his first acts as president, he pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who attended a joint session of Congress after his release.

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