US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a large pardon package covering 250 people as part of events tied to the country’s 250th anniversary. The report has quickly reignited clemency campaigns around several high-profile crypto cases, including former FTX chief Sam Bankman-Fried, Samourai Wallet co-founder Keonne Rodriguez, and figures linked to Tornado Cash.
The pardon plan is still taking shape
According to The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, the proposal remains in an early stage. A formal announcement could come on June 14, Trump’s birthday, or during July 4 Independence Day events. The report also said the White House received more than 16,000 formal pardon requests last year. On the first day of his current term, Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people tied to the 2021 Capitol riot, a move that has kept attention on any new clemency effort.
SBF keeps seeking relief, but Trump has reportedly ruled it out
Bankman-Fried was convicted on seven counts in the FTX collapse case and was sentenced in 2024 to 25 years in prison. He has continued to press for clemency through social media appeals. Still, The New York Times reported that Trump had already made clear earlier this year that SBF would not be pardoned, leaving little room for his campaign despite the public attention around it.
Rodriguez draws the strongest public support
Keonne Rodriguez, the Samourai Wallet co-founder, has attracted a much larger backing effort. Trump said in December last year that he would review Rodriguez’s case and consider a pardon. As of Thursday, a Change.org petition supporting clemency for Rodriguez had gathered 16,082 signatures. His case has become a flashpoint in the crypto community, where supporters argue that developers should not be held criminally liable for how third parties use their software.
Tornado Cash petitions remain limited
Pardon petitions tied to Tornado Cash founders Roman Storm and Roman Semenov have also been launched, but support has been far smaller, with only 22 and 9 signatures respectively. The report noted that Storm has not publicly asked for a pardon himself. Storm was convicted in August last year of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and still faces allegations tied to money laundering conspiracy and sanctions-related conspiracy. Semenov has been listed by the FBI as a wanted person.
Crypto clemency already has recent precedents
Several crypto figures have already received pardons during Trump’s second term. The White House previously pardoned BitMEX co-founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed after they admitted violating the Bank Secrecy Act. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, was also pardoned in 2025 after serving four months for anti-money-laundering violations. Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht was among the first people pardoned in January 2025, ending his life sentence related to running the darknet marketplace.