Sam Bankman-Fried

Co-founder and former CEO of FTX and co-founder of Alameda Research^{Source [1]}^{Source [9]}

Cryptocurrency exchangesQuantitative tradingCrypto assets

Unclaimed profileLast verified Oct 2, 2026

About

Sam Bankman-Fried co-founded the crypto trading firm Alameda Research with Gary Wang in or around October 2017 and the crypto asset trading platform FTX with Wang and Nishad Singh, which began operating in or around May 2019, according to the SEC. He was CEO of Alameda until around October 2021 and CEO of FTX until he resigned on or about November 11, 2022, when FTX, Alameda and affiliated entities filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.^{Source [1]}^{Source [2]}

He graduated from MIT with a degree in physics in 2014 and began his career at the trading firm Jane Street Capital, according to Forbes.^{Source [3]}^{Source [4]}

On December 13, 2022 federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment against him, a day after his arrest in The Bahamas, and the SEC and CFTC filed civil complaints the same day. On November 2, 2023 a jury convicted him on seven counts, and on March 28, 2024 Judge Lewis A. Kaplan sentenced him to 25 years in prison and ordered forfeiture of more than $11 billion.^{Source [5]}^{Source [6]}^{Source [7]}^{Source [8]}^{Source [9]}

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the judgment on June 12, 2026, and on September 10, 2026 he petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, with the government's response due October 15, 2026. As of October 2, 2026 the Bureau of Prisons lists him at FCI Lompoc I with a projected release date of May 3, 2044.^{Source [2]}^{Source [10]}^{Source [11]}

Watch

FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried on the Crypto Exchange's Collapse | WSJ by The Wall Street Journal on YouTube

Career

Alameda Research

2017 to 2021

FTX

2019 to 2022

Company	Years	Role	Status
FTX Co-founded FTX with Gary Wang and Nishad Singh; it began operating in or around May 2019, and he resigned as CEO on or about November 11, 2022, when FTX filed for Chapter 11. On December 13, 2022 the SEC charged him with defrauding FTX equity investors. On November 2, 2023 a federal jury in the Southern District of New York convicted him of two counts of wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud conspiracy, and one count each of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, commodities fraud and money laundering. On March 28, 2024 Judge Lewis A. Kaplan sentenced him to 25 years in prison, three years of supervised release and more than $11 billion in forfeiture. The Second Circuit affirmed the judgment on June 12, 2026, and he filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on September 10, 2026. Fortune reported on June 9, 2026 that a pardon application was listed as pending on the Justice Department website. As of October 2, 2026 the Bureau of Prisons lists him at FCI Lompoc I with a projected release date of May 3, 2044.^{Source [1]}^{Source [6]}^{Source [8]}^{Source [9]}^{Source [2]}^{Source [10]}^{Source [12]}^{Source [13]}^{Source [11]} Was the ultimate decision-maker at FTX from its launch in or around May 2019 until November 11, 2022, according to the SEC.^{Source [1]} Co-founded FTX US with Wang and Singh in or around January 2020, a platform designed primarily for U.S. customers.^{Source [1]} Raised at least $1.8 billion from equity investors through Series A, B, B-1 and C rounds completed between August 2019 and January 2022, according to the SEC.^{Source [1]} Was convicted in November 2023 of fraud and conspiracy counts relating to FTX customers, FTX investors and Alameda lenders, and sentenced to 25 years in March 2024.^{Source [8]}^{Source [9]} Suggest a correction to FTX	2019 to 2022	Co-founder^{Source [1]}^{Source [9]}CEO^{Source [1]}^{Source [6]}	Bankrupt
Alameda Research Co-founded Alameda Research with Gary Wang in or around October 2017 and owned about 90 percent of it, according to the SEC. He was CEO until around October 2021, when Caroline Ellison and Sam Trabucco became co-CEOs.^{Source [1]}^{Source [4]} Was responsible for trading operations at Alameda's start, while Wang handled engineering and programming, according to the SEC.^{Source [1]} Ran Alameda as a quantitative crypto trading firm that began with arbitrage strategies and later added market making, yield farming, volatility trading and OTC trading.^{Source [1]} Held about 90 percent of Alameda's equity, with Wang holding about 10 percent, according to the SEC.^{Source [1]} Suggest a correction to Alameda Research	2017 to 2021	Co-founder^{Source [1]}^{Source [9]}^{Source [14]}CEO^{Source [1]}^{Source [2]}	Bankrupt

Company

Years

Role

Status

FTX

Co-founded FTX with Gary Wang and Nishad Singh; it began operating in or around May 2019, and he resigned as CEO on or about November 11, 2022, when FTX filed for Chapter 11. On December 13, 2022 the SEC charged him with defrauding FTX equity investors. On November 2, 2023 a federal jury in the Southern District of New York convicted him of two counts of wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud conspiracy, and one count each of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, commodities fraud and money laundering. On March 28, 2024 Judge Lewis A. Kaplan sentenced him to 25 years in prison, three years of supervised release and more than $11 billion in forfeiture. The Second Circuit affirmed the judgment on June 12, 2026, and he filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on September 10, 2026. Fortune reported on June 9, 2026 that a pardon application was listed as pending on the Justice Department website. As of October 2, 2026 the Bureau of Prisons lists him at FCI Lompoc I with a projected release date of May 3, 2044.^{Source [1]}^{Source [6]}^{Source [8]}^{Source [9]}^{Source [2]}^{Source [10]}^{Source [12]}^{Source [13]}^{Source [11]}

Was the ultimate decision-maker at FTX from its launch in or around May 2019 until November 11, 2022, according to the SEC.^{Source [1]}
Co-founded FTX US with Wang and Singh in or around January 2020, a platform designed primarily for U.S. customers.^{Source [1]}
Raised at least $1.8 billion from equity investors through Series A, B, B-1 and C rounds completed between August 2019 and January 2022, according to the SEC.^{Source [1]}
Was convicted in November 2023 of fraud and conspiracy counts relating to FTX customers, FTX investors and Alameda lenders, and sentenced to 25 years in March 2024.^{Source [8]}^{Source [9]}

Suggest a correction to FTX

2019 to 2022

Co-founder^{Source [1]}^{Source [9]}CEO^{Source [1]}^{Source [6]}

Bankrupt

Alameda Research

Co-founded Alameda Research with Gary Wang in or around October 2017 and owned about 90 percent of it, according to the SEC. He was CEO until around October 2021, when Caroline Ellison and Sam Trabucco became co-CEOs.^{Source [1]}^{Source [4]}

Was responsible for trading operations at Alameda's start, while Wang handled engineering and programming, according to the SEC.^{Source [1]}
Ran Alameda as a quantitative crypto trading firm that began with arbitrage strategies and later added market making, yield farming, volatility trading and OTC trading.^{Source [1]}
Held about 90 percent of Alameda's equity, with Wang holding about 10 percent, according to the SEC.^{Source [1]}

Suggest a correction to Alameda Research

2017 to 2021

Co-founder^{Source [1]}^{Source [9]}^{Source [14]}CEO^{Source [1]}^{Source [2]}

Bankrupt

Milestones

2026-09Petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari (Docket No. 26-349).^{Source [10]}
2026-06The Second Circuit affirmed his conviction; a pardon application was reported as pending at the Justice Department.^{Source [2]}^{Source [12]}^{Source [13]}
2024-03Sentenced to 25 years in prison and more than $11 billion in forfeiture.^{Source [9]}
2023-11Convicted by a federal jury on seven counts.^{Source [8]}^{Source [9]}
2022-12Arrested in The Bahamas; DOJ unsealed an indictment and the SEC and CFTC filed civil complaints.^{Source [5]}^{Source [6]}^{Source [7]}
2022-11Resigned as FTX CEO as FTX and affiliates filed for Chapter 11.^{Source [1]}
2022-01FTX completed a Series C raise of about $500 million.^{Source [1]}
2021-10Stepped down as Alameda CEO; Caroline Ellison and Sam Trabucco became co-CEOs.^{Source [1]}
2021-07FTX completed a Series B raise of about $1 billion.^{Source [1]}
2020-01Co-founded FTX US.^{Source [1]}
2019-05FTX began operations.^{Source [1]}
2017-10Co-founded Alameda Research with Gary Wang.^{Source [1]}
2014Graduated from MIT and joined Jane Street Capital.^{Source [3]}^{Source [4]}

Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bachelor's degree, Physics 2014^{Source [3]}^{Source [4]}

Sources

SEC v. Samuel Bankman-Fried, Complaint, No. 1:22-cv-10501 (S.D.N.Y.), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2022-12-13. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
United States v. Bankman-Fried, No. 24-961-cr, opinion, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2026-06-12. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Sam Bankman-Fried, Forbes. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Sam Bankman-Fried, Wikipedia. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
United States Attorney Announces Charges Against FTX Founder Samuel Bankman-Fried (read via Internet Archive capture), U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, 2022-12-13. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
SEC Charges Samuel Bankman-Fried with Defrauding Investors in Crypto Asset Trading Platform FTX, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2022-12-13. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
CFTC Charges Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX Trading and Alameda with Fraud and Material Misrepresentations (Release 8638-22), U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, 2022-12-13. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Statement Of U.S. Attorney Damian Williams On The Conviction Of Samuel Bankman-Fried (read via Internet Archive capture), U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, 2023-11-02. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Samuel Bankman-Fried Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison (read via Internet Archive capture), U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, 2024-03-28. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Docket No. 26-349, Samuel Bankman-Fried, Petitioner v. United States, Supreme Court of the United States. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Find an inmate: Samuel Bankman-Fried, register number 37244-510, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Sam Bankman-Fried formally files for pardon, but White House reiterates that FTX cofounder's odds are slim, Fortune, 2026-06-09. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Sam Bankman-Fried seeks Trump pardon, Semafor, 2026-06-09. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Alameda Research, Wikipedia. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.

History

Oct 2, 2026: Enriched with about, education, highlights and milestones; Bureau of Prisons facility re-checked and updated to FCI Lompoc I (Founded editors)
Sep 28, 2026: Profile created from public sources (Founded editors)

Compiled by Founded editors from the cited public sources. Editorial policy / Request removal