“The said interview was not sanctioned,” a spokesperson for the US Bureau of Prisons communicated to The New York Times on March 7.

A source familiar with the matter disclosed that Bankman-Fried was relocated to solitary confinement in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after the Carlson interview was made public. This is where he has been detained since August 2023. The Bureau of Prisons reportedly has stringent regulations regarding inmate communication.

The contentious interview, posted on Carlson’s YouTube channel on March 6, has already amassed over 730,000 views at the time of writing. Bankman-Fried, in his chat with Carlson, shared insights into his prison life and his perspectives on cryptocurrency regulation in the US. Expressing his feelings, he told Carlson that he didn’t perceive himself as “a criminal.”

While Trump’s pardon was not directly broached by Carlson, the ex-FTX CEO seemed open to Republican ideologies during their conversation. This has sparked rumors of a potential Trump pardon for Bankman-Fried. Cryptocurrency predictions platform Polymarket reported on March 7 that, “the likelihood of a pardon for SBF has almost doubled” since the interview aired.

Interestingly, Trump had pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the Silk Road founder, who had been in jail for 12 years, just a day after his inauguration on Jan. 21. Meanwhile, in September 2024, Bankman-Fried’s legal team lodged an appeal against his seven felony charges and 25-year prison sentence. They argued in the 102-page brief that the ex-FTX CEO was “never presumed innocent,” leading to alleged bias from the prosecutors, the presiding judge, and media coverage.

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“I don’t believe I was a criminal,” Bankman-Fried stated during his dialogue with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. This statement echoes the sentiments he expressed in his initial press interactions following the downfall of FTX.

Bankman-Fried was found guilty on several charges relating to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities and money laundering, and more in 2023, nearly a year after FTX’s fall. He is currently serving his 25-year sentence at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

The recent interview, released just before his 33rd birthday, seems to be part of a campaign by the Bankman-Fried family to seek a presidential pardon for their relative. In his conversation with the New York Sun last month, Bankman-Fried discussed his political leanings, seemingly in an attempt to align himself with then-President Donald Trump.

In the latest interview, Bankman-Fried continued to compare the crimes within the crypto space, arguing that while there is some level of crime today, it’s significantly less than it was a decade ago. He used the example of the Silk Road, a notorious online black market that was a common use of crypto back then.

Bankman-Fried also reiterated his claim that FTX was fully solvent at the time of its collapse. He suggested that the exchange would have had an astounding $100 billion in assets against approximately $15 billion in liabilities today.

The crypto tycoon also shared his disappointment with Democrats, despite his significant donations to the party. He expressed his shock at the direction of the administration after his contributions to Biden’s campaign in 2020.

While Bankman-Fried may be hoping for a pardon, he does acknowledge that he could be well into his 50s before his release if not granted. Thus, he continues to express his views on the crypto industry and its regulations while behind bars.

It’s clear that the world has not heard the last from Bankman-Fried, and his future statements will continue to draw attention. Especially as the crypto industry evolves, his insights from the past may still have relevance.

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