Ftx Cryptocurrency Exchange Company Logo Seen on a Dark Display. Source: Ascannio - stock.adobe.com

Key Takeaways:

Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of FTX, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for seven felony charges, maintaining he was unaware his actions were illegal.
Bankman-Fried claims the collapse of FTX in November 2022 was due to bad decisions, not malicious intent, and believes FTX could have survived without declaring bankruptcy.
Despite the significant sentence, there’s a possibility for a reduced term considering time served and good behavior, with Bankman-Fried’s legal team planning to appeal.

In a significant turn of events following his sentencing, Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried, the ex-CEO of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, communicated with the press, underscoring his lack of awareness regarding the legality of his actions.

Bankman-Fried, sentenced to a quarter-century in federal prison, voiced his sentiments through an email from Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where he has been detained since August 2023.

JUST IN: Sam Bankman-Fried speaks out after being sentenced to 25 years in prison.

"I never thought that what I was doing was illegal." pic.twitter.com/UlLA8Sycej
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) April 1, 2024

The former cryptocurrency mogul was handed a 25-year prison term by Judge Lewis Kaplan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 28, following his conviction on seven felony charges.

“I never thought that what I was doing was illegal,” Bankman-Fried revealed to ABC News, expressing his daily torment over the losses incurred and his intention never to harm or defraud anyone.

Sam Bankman-Fried reacts to 25-year prison sentence for financial fraud.

In written responses provided exclusively to @ABC News, Bankman-Fried insists he feels remorse: “I never thought what I was doing was illegal.”

Read more: https://t.co/lAzJKXy0dk pic.twitter.com/DokasUWGhN
— ABC News (@ABC) April 1, 2024

Bankman-Fried’s responses during this interaction seemed to deflect full accountability for FTX’s downfall in November 2022.

He admitted to making “bad decisions” yet refuted claims of acting with selfish motives.

He also reiterated a prior defense, suggesting that without the bankruptcy declaration, FTX could have persisted, eventually reimbursing its customers.

This communication might represent one of Bankman-Fried’s final public statements before his transition to federal incarceration.

BREAKING: Convicted fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried says "I never thought that what I was doing was illegal".

25 years to think about it… pic.twitter.com/trMEBq1tgj
— Radar🚨 (@RadarHits) April 1, 2024

The recommendation by Judge Kaplan was for Bankman-Fried to continue his sentence in a medium- or low-security facility within the San Francisco Bay Area, aligning with his sentencing documentations which implied a potential reduction in his 25-year sentence due to time already served and possible deductions for good conduct, despite the absence of parole in the federal system.

As of the last update, Bankman-Fried’s legal team announced plans to challenge the verdict, although no formal appeal had been lodged.

Sam Bankman-Fried speaks out for first time since 25-year prison sentence: ‘I never thought that what I was doing was illegal’ https://t.co/382Fnab8qd pic.twitter.com/zGIW5cc6qk
— New York Post (@nypost) April 1, 2024

This development in the Bankman-Fried saga marks a pivotal moment in the legal proceedings surrounding the collapse of one of the most prominent entities in the cryptocurrency world, bringing to light the complex intersections of innovation, regulation, and the law.