Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted FTX founder currently incarcerated, spoke to The New York Sun from Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center in a series of four 15-minute phone calls conducted on February 18 and 19, 2025, with the full 45-minute audio published today.
The interview, his first detailed one from prison, reveals a claimed shift in his political stance, reflections on his trial, and persistent claims of innocence regarding the FTX collapse.
SBF criticised the Biden administration (despite being their 2nd lategst donor before the collapse of FTX) for what he calls the “politicisation” of the Justice Department, alleging “prosecutorial abuse” in his case. He expressed apparent sympathy for President Donald Trump, noting shared frustrations with U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over both SBF’s fraud trial and Trump-related lawsuits (e.g., E. Jean Carroll’s cases).
SBF suggested Kaplan’s handling of his trial was unfair, claiming the jury heard a “false” story from prosecutor Danielle Sassoon.
Once a major Democratic donor (notably in the 2020 election cycle), SBF claimed he had also been “giving to Republicans conservative causes a lot more than had been public” and working with them more than previously known, hinting at a rightward political shift – possibly tactical, as he awaits a potential Trump pardon.
SBF insisted FTX was never insolvent, arguing it faced a liquidity crisis, not a solvency one, with assets exceeding liabilities (e.g., claiming $20 billion in assets vs. $10 billion in liabilities in November 2022). He asserted no “theft” occurred, a key point in his ongoing appeal to the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and complained he couldn’t present this at trial.
He contrasted his 25-year sentence with lighter ones for cooperating FTX aides like Caroline Ellison, framing himself as unfairly targeted.
Despite his past wealth (once valued at $20 billion), SBF said his annual salary was only about $200,000. He misses the ability to “have a positive impact on the world” and simple freedoms like googling things—small losses compared to his legal woes.
He appeared contemplative, discussing his fall from grace and distancing himself from “center-left” politics, though it’s unclear if this is genuine or strategic given his pardon hopes.
SBF accused the justice system of failing to presume his innocence, pointing to Judge Kaplan’s rulings and the prosecution’s narrative. He tied this to broader grievances, aligning himself with Trump’s criticisms of the same judge, suggesting a pattern of judicial bias.
Interview was conducted as SBF awaits transfer to a federal prison to serve his 25-year sentence (post-conviction in November 2023 for fraud and conspiracy).
The New York Sun, with its conservative leanings, frames his comments as a potential political awakening, questioning whether it’s sincere or a calculated move given Trump’s pardon power. The interview lacks new hard evidence about FTX’s collapse but underscores SBF’s defiance and evolving narrative from behind bars.