Zinger Key Points
- Scaramucci said he doesn’t support a pardon but would agree to commuting or reducing Bankman-Fried’s sentence.
- Scaramucci said he doesn’t feel “vengeful” toward Bankman-Fried and believes the punishment exceeds the nature of the crime.
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Anthony Scaramucci, the founder of SkyBridge Capital and former White House communications director, has expressed concern over the length of Sam Bankman-Fried's prison sentence, calling the 25-year term excessive despite being personally impacted by the collapse of FTX.
"Is 25 years too steep of a price? I think it is," Scaramucci said during an interview with Crypto in America. "I think it’s too steep of a price for what he did."
Bankman-Fried, the founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison in March 2024 for orchestrating one of the largest financial frauds in recent history.
A federal jury had convicted him in November 2023 on seven criminal counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Prosecutors alleged he misused billions of dollars in customer deposits to fund speculative investments, political contributions, and luxury real estate purchases.
Scaramucci's comments come as a surprise given his direct involvement as an investor and victim of the FTX scandal.
Also Read: Donald Trump Jr. Says Crypto Was A Lifeline After Being Debanked: ‘We Got Into It Out Of Necessity’
"Even though he harmed me, guys, I’m a victim of his crime," Scaramucci noted. "The guy really hurt my reputation. He hurt my business. I'm still entangled in the goddamn thing, you know?"
Despite the personal damage, Scaramucci stated he does not hold resentment toward Bankman-Fried.
"But I don’t have anything other than a bad feeling for Sam. I don’t have a vengeful feeling for him or anything like that," he added.
While Scaramucci said he would not support a presidential pardon, he did indicate support for a reduced sentence.
"Commuting his sentence or reducing his sentence would be something that if someone came to me and said, ‘Hey, would you reduce his sentence?' I would say yes," he said.
Bankman-Fried's sentencing followed a high-profile trial that became a defining moment in crypto's legal reckoning in the United States. Once a prominent figure in the digital asset space, Bankman-Fried's downfall sent shockwaves through the industry, eroding investor trust and prompting renewed regulatory scrutiny.
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