Table of Contents
US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a large-scale pardon, potentially pardoning 250 people to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Following this news, several cryptocurrency founders and supporters embroiled in lawsuits have urged Trump to include them on the pardon list.
A plan to grant amnesty to 250 people is in the works.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources familiar with the matter, the pardon plan is still in its early stages, and a formal announcement may be made on June 14, Trump's birthday, or at the Independence Day event on July 4. More than 16,000 formal pardon requests were submitted to the White House last year.
On his first day in office, Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people involved in the 2021 Capitol Hill incident. Since then, many imprisoned crypto founders and their supporters have continued to petition Trump for pardons.
SBF: Social media petition, but Trump has vetoed it.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) was convicted on seven counts in connection with the collapse of the crypto exchage and faces a 25-year prison sentence in 2024. He has been actively petitioning for a pardon on social media, but according to The New York Times, Trump explicitly ruled out the possibility of pardoning SBF earlier this year.
Samourai Wallet founder: Petition surpasses 16,000 signatures
Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixing protocol Samourai Wallet, has also publicly expressed her desire for a pardon. Trump stated last December that he would review Rodriguez's case and consider a pardon. As of Thursday, the pardon petition on Change.org had accumulated 16,082 signatures.
Tornado Cash founder: Two petitions receive few signatures.
Meanwhile, petitions for the pardon of Tornado Cash founders Roman Storm and Roman Semenov have been launched, but the two petitions have only garnered 22 and 9 signatures respectively. Storm himself has not publicly requested a pardon. Storm was convicted last August of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transfer business and still faces charges of money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions. Semenov is wanted by the FBI.
The Rodriguez and Storm case has been closely watched by the crypto community, with many proponents arguing that developers should not be held responsible for third parties' use of their software.
There are successful precedents: BitMEX, CZ, and Ross Ulbricht were granted amnesty.
Several crypto founders have been pardoned during Trump's second term. Last year, the White House pardoned BitMEX exchange co-founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed, who had previously pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act. Binance founder CZ(CZ) was also pardoned in 2025 after serving four months in prison for violating anti-money laundering regulations. Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht was among the first to be pardoned by Trump in January 2025, ending his life sentence for operating a Dark Web market.
Related reports
CZ CZ was pardoned by Trump! BNB surged and broke through $1,140.
Will SBF be pardoned by Biden soon? Musk: Very likely; FTT shares surged 20% at one point.
