Avenatti: SBF Refused to Admit Wrongdoing in Pardon Bid

Michael Avenatti, who shared a prison cell with Sam Bankman-Fried, posted on social media hours after Bankman-Fried’s formal pardon application became public on June 8, 2026. Avenatti wrote that Bankman-Fried “not once” admitted he had done anything wrong and that the two “argued more than once” about SBF’s refusal to accept responsibility.

Avenatti wrote that without such an admission Bankman-Fried could not legitimately earn a pardon, framing his view of their conversations inside the facility.

The filing is a formal pardon application with the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney. Bankman-Fried has maintained his innocence, saying the collapse of FTX resulted from a liquidity crisis rather than deliberate fraud. A federal jury convicted him in November 2023 on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. In March 2024 a judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison and ordered roughly $11 billion in forfeiture. His conviction is the subject of an ongoing appeal.

President Trump publicly ruled out clemency for Bankman-Fried in January 2026. Courts have denied earlier requests for early release. The Justice Department will review the pardon application under standard administrative procedures; a president may grant clemency outside that review. Betting market Polymarket places the odds of a 2026 pardon at about 7 percent.

Avenatti served a federal sentence for defrauding clients and for embezzling roughly $300,000 from a former client. A judge initially sentenced him to 14 years, later reduced to about 11 years, and ordered repayment of approximately $7 million. At his sentencing Avenatti told the court he was “deeply remorseful and contrite.” He transferred to a halfway house in April 2026 and said he and Bankman-Fried were held at the same facility.

The Justice Department review will determine whether to recommend clemency to the president; there is no set timetable for that process. Bankman-Fried’s legal team continues to pursue appeals in court while the administrative pardon application proceeds.