SBF's Slim Pardon Hopes: Appeals Court Skeptical, Diddy Friendship Blooms Behind Bars

Sam Bankman-Fried BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

Sam Bankman-Fried has had quite the week in the spotlight, and not in the way he'd hoped. The convicted FTX founder faced a skeptical appeals court on November 4th when judges from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments about his bid to overturn his 25-year fraud conviction. According to multiple reports from AP News and CoinDesk, the three-judge panel appeared deeply unconvinced by his legal team's arguments that he deserved a new trial. His attorney, Alexandra Shapiro, argued that the trial judge had left the defense "cut off at the knees" by limiting evidence about legal advice Bankman-Fried received. But Judge Barrington Parker was particularly pointed, asking whether Shapiro was "seriously suggesting" that jurors would have voted not guilty if her client had been allowed to testify about his lawyers' role in documents. The court is expected to issue a decision in the coming months.

Running parallel to his legal troubles is a pardon campaign that's heating up behind the scenes. According to Reuters and Tribune242, members of Bankman-Fried's inner circle have reportedly approached President Trump seeking a presidential pardon, though Trump himself hasn't publicly commented. The prediction market Polymarket, as reported by Cointelegraph, assigns only a 4 percent probability that Bankman-Fried will receive a pardon in 2025, suggesting even speculators think his chances are slim.

Meanwhile, from his jail cell, Bankman-Fried has been surprisingly active. Through a monitored X account managed by a friend, per Bitcoinist and other crypto outlets, he's been posting claims that FTX customer funds were never actually lost and that roughly 98 percent of all allowed customer claims have already been reimbursed with interest. He's also been engaging in public disputes with crypto investigators over claims of alleged bribes and fund transfers.

In perhaps the most surreal detail to emerge, AOL News reports that Bankman-Fried has become friendly with Sean "Diddy" Combs in their high-security Brooklyn jail unit, with sources saying Combs is "always kind" to him. It's an unexpected connection between two of the most notorious figures currently incarcerated.

The court proceedings continue to dominate his narrative, with prosecutors maintaining they presented overwhelming evidence of his guilt and that bankruptcy creditors are being made whole.

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