SBF’s 3AM Wake-Up Call: Sam Bankman-Fried Transferred to Oklahoma Facility Following Tucker Interview

SBF’s 3AM Wake-Up Call: Sam Bankman-Fried Transferred to Oklahoma Facility Following Tucker Interview

TLDR

• Sam Bankman-Fried has been transferred from Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center to a transfer facility in Oklahoma City
• The move came weeks after an unauthorized interview with Tucker Carlson that reportedly landed him in solitary confinement
• SBF is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for fraud related to the FTX collapse
• His lawyers had requested he be moved to California to be closer to his parents
• There appears to be an effort by SBF and his family to secure a pardon from President Trump

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been moved from a New York detention center to a transfer facility in Oklahoma City, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons data.

The 33-year-old former crypto executive was previously held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. He is now at FTC Oklahoma City, a facility that temporarily houses inmates being transported through the prison system.

This transfer comes after Bankman-Fried conducted an unauthorized interview with media personality Tucker Carlson. According to The New York Times, citing “a person briefed on the situation,” this unsanctioned conversation resulted in Bankman-Fried being placed in solitary confinement.

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

The Bureau of Prisons confirmed the transfer but declined to reveal where Bankman-Fried would be sent next “for privacy, safety and security reasons.” His lawyers had previously requested he be moved to a federal prison in California to be closer to his parents, who live near Stanford University.

Bankman-Fried is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence after being convicted on seven counts of fraud in 2023. His scheduled release date is November 17, 2044, according to prison records.

The interview with Carlson is reportedly part of Bankman-Fried’s effort to secure a pardon from President Donald Trump. During the conversation, he pushed a narrative that his harsh punishment was related to his political donations.

“One fact that might be relevant is, in 2020 I was center-left, and I gave to Biden’s campaign,” Bankman-Fried told Carlson. “By late 2022 I was giving privately to Republicans privately, as much as Democrats, and that started becoming known right around FTX’s collapse.”

Crypto lobbyists have expressed doubt about the success of these efforts. One lobbyist told Fortune that Bankman-Fried had a “near zero” chance of landing a pardon from Trump.

Earlier this year, Bankman-Fried’s parents, Stanford Law School professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, reportedly met with lawyers and others close to Trump to discuss potential clemency for their son. Joseph Bankman even wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post praising Trump’s plan for a U.S. sovereign wealth fund.

FTX Collapse

FTX collapsed and filed for bankruptcy in November 2022 amid accusations that Bankman-Fried mishandled customer funds. He was accused of loaning out billions of dollars worth of customer deposits to Alameda Research, FTX’s trading arm.

The exchange’s multi-billion dollar collapse led to a sharp downturn in crypto prices. U.S. federal authorities arrested Bankman-Fried in December 2022.

Prosecutors have called the collapse one of the largest financial frauds in United States history. The revelation that most of FTX’s assets didn’t exist sent investors and customers scrambling to withdraw their money, uncovering an $8 billion hole in the company.

Bankman-Fried is appealing his conviction. He believes the judge who oversaw his case, Lewis Kaplan, was biased and that jurors were rushed to make a decision.

Judge Kaplan also oversaw Trump’s defamation trial against writer E. Jean Carroll. This is something Bankman-Fried has mentioned in interviews, possibly trying to appeal to the president.

Bankman-Fried has also criticized the Biden administration’s approach to cryptocurrency regulation. He has praised Republicans for embracing crypto, which aligns with the second Trump administration’s crypto-friendly policies.

President Trump pardoned Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht in January, fulfilling a campaign promise to Libertarian voters. However, unlike Ulbricht, Bankman-Fried lacks similar grassroots support.

Bankman-Fried was reportedly awakened at 3 AM from his cot in the Brooklyn facility and transported to Oklahoma City. Whether this transfer was punishment for the Carlson interview or a coincidence remains unclear.

Prior to his arrest, Bankman-Fried had written a plan that included contingencies like “come out as extremely pro crypto, pro freedom,” and “go on Tucker Carlsen [sic], come out as [R]epublican.” His recent actions suggest he may be following this plan.

The post SBF’s 3AM Wake-Up Call: Sam Bankman-Fried Transferred to Oklahoma Facility Following Tucker Interview appeared first on CoinCentral.