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TLDR
- Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) denied being a criminal during Tucker Carlson’s podcast interview while serving his 25-year prison sentence
- SBF criticized former SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s approach to crypto regulation, calling it “something out of a nightmare”
- SBF revealed he donated to Republicans privately as much as Democrats by late 2022
- Former FTX CEO expressed optimism about crypto’s future under the Trump administration
- SBF discussed prison life, mentioning that Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, who is also detained at the same facility, has been “kind” to him
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, currently serving a 25-year prison sentence, insisted he is not a criminal during a recent interview with Tucker Carlson. The 32-year-old appeared healthy and in good spirits as he discussed his time behind bars, political donations, and views on cryptocurrency regulation.
Sam Bankman-Fried is doing 25 years behind bars, and is now sharing a cell block with Diddy. He joins us from prison for an update on his new life.
(0:00) What Has Prison Been Like?
(2:28) Was SBF Ever on Adderall?
(4:42) SBF Meeting Diddy in Prison
(7:01) How Prison Has Changed… pic.twitter.com/mNSNktLibg
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) March 6, 2025
Bankman-Fried directly challenged the U.S. Department of Justice’s position on his case. “I don’t think I was a criminal,” he told Carlson during the interview. “Certainly, the answer to that is no.”
The former crypto executive described his prison life as a “dystopian” experience. He is currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he will turn 33 tomorrow.
Bankman-Fried shared the detention facility with disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. Combs is being held on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
When asked about Combs, SBF had positive remarks. “He’s been kind to people in the unit, he’s been kind to me,” Bankman-Fried said during the interview.
SBF Speaks Out: The Unfiltered Truth
The conversation also touched on Bankman-Fried’s political donations. During his trial in October 2023, evidence showed he donated up to $119 million to politicians in the 2022 election cycle.
Carlson questioned why Democratic politicians didn’t help him avoid prison despite his generous donations. “You gave so much to Democrats, I thought they would rescue you in the end,” Carlson remarked.
SBF offered an explanation for the lack of support. “By late 2022 I was giving to Republicans privately as much as Democrats,” he said. “And that started becoming known right around FTX’s collapse, so that probably played a role.”
He added that most Democratic politicians distanced themselves from him “as quickly as possible” after FTX’s collapse. However, he mentioned hearing “people saying third-hand nice things” about him.
Bankman-Fried was particularly critical of former SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s approach to cryptocurrency regulation. He described Gensler’s regulatory stance as “something out of a nightmare.”
SBF suggested Gensler had political motives behind his strict crypto policies. “He wanted his agency to get more power,” Bankman-Fried claimed. “There are lots of stories of him being politically ambitious and feeling like if he could get on CNBC enough…raise his profile, that maybe he would be Treasury Secretary.”
The interview also covered the fate of Bankman-Fried’s former associates. He expressed sympathy for Ryan Salame, the former FTX co-CEO who was sentenced to 90 months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges.
“I think Ryan Salame is the saddest example of that,” SBF said. He claimed Salame was charged with “totally bogus crimes” and that prosecutors threatened to charge Salame’s pregnant wife.
Despite his own legal troubles, Bankman-Fried expressed optimism about the future of cryptocurrency under President Donald Trump’s administration. He noted that the current administration is saying “a lot of good things” about the crypto industry.
SBF contrasted Trump’s approach with former President Joe Biden’s stance on cryptocurrency. “Obviously, it’s the follow-through that matters and that is the state we are in right now,” he added.
When pressed about serving his full 25-year sentence, Bankman-Fried showed uncertainty. “I’m not sure,” he told Carlson. “The hardest thing is just not having something meaningful to be doing in here.”
If he serves his complete sentence, Bankman-Fried will be 57 years old upon release. However, there is a possibility of sentence reduction for good behavior.
The interview provided a rare glimpse into Bankman-Fried’s life since his conviction in one of the largest financial fraud cases in recent history. His exchange, FTX, was once valued at $32 billion before its spectacular collapse in late 2022.
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