Donald Trump is reportedly considering a new round of pardons that could cover about 250 people, a move that has quickly revived attention on imprisoned crypto executives and software developers seeking clemency. The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House could announce the pardons on June 14, Trump’s birthday, or during events tied to next year’s July 4 celebrations for the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The talks, though, are still in an early phase, and no final decision has been confirmed.
The report said more than 16,000 pardon applications were formally submitted last year. Inside the crypto sector, that has put several long-running clemency campaigns back under the spotlight. Since Trump returned to office, convicted founders and developers with crypto ties have kept pressing their cases, while earlier pardons granted to industry figures during his second term have fueled expectations that more names could be considered.
Bankman-Fried and privacy-tool developers draw the most attention
Former FTX chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried remains one of the most closely watched figures in any clemency discussion. He was convicted in 2023 on seven criminal counts tied to the collapse of FTX and was sentenced the following year to 25 years in prison. In recent months, he has tried to rebuild political and public support through social media activity and media interviews. Earlier reporting, however, said Trump had privately rejected the idea of granting him a pardon.
Another active lobbying effort centers on Keonne Rodriguez, a developer behind Samourai Wallet. Trump said in December that he would review Rodriguez’s case and examine whether clemency was possible. By Thursday, an online petition supporting Rodriguez had reached 16,082 signatures.
Supporters of Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Roman Semenov have also launched pardon petitions, but public backing remains limited. One petition for Storm showed only 22 signatures on Thursday, while another for Semenov had 9 signatures. Storm has not publicly asked for a pardon. Prosecutors secured a conviction against him last August on charges tied to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, and he still faces separate allegations related to money laundering conspiracy and sanctions violations. Semenov, for his part, remains listed as wanted by the FBI.
Developer liability stays at the center of the dispute
The Samourai Wallet and Tornado Cash cases have become a major fault line inside the crypto industry. Privacy advocates and backers of open-source software argue that developers should not face criminal liability for the way independent users interact with decentralized tools. That debate has now returned to the foreground as the White House weighs whether to move ahead with a broader batch of pardons.
Several crypto figures have already received clemency
Attention around the latest discussion is also shaped by what has already happened during Trump’s current term. He has approved pardons for multiple high-profile figures linked to the cryptocurrency industry. Last year, BitMEX co-founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed received pardons after previously pleading guilty to violations of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act tied to anti-money laundering and know-your-customer failures.
Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao also received a pardon in 2025. He had served a four-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program at Binance. Earlier in Trump’s presidency, Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht was granted clemency for the life sentence connected to his operation of the darknet marketplace.