Ex-bunkmate Avenatti: SBF won’t admit wrongdoing

Michael Avenatti, who shared a cell with Sam Bankman‑Fried, posted Monday that Bankman‑Fried still refuses to accept responsibility after submitting a formal pardon petition to the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney.

Avenatti wrote that he and Bankman‑Fried argued repeatedly in prison about SBF’s unwillingness to acknowledge his actions. “Not once did he admit he’d done anything wrong,” Avenatti wrote, and he said his remarks come from direct observation while they were bunkmates.

The pardon filing follows months of public appeals from Bankman‑Fried, including pro‑Trump social posts and interviews from custody. Bankman‑Fried has maintained he did not commit deliberate fraud and says FTX collapsed because of a liquidity crisis. He was convicted in November 2023 on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy, and in March 2024 a judge sentenced him to 25 years and ordered forfeiture of about $11 billion. He is pursuing an appeal that contends he was presumed guilty before trial.

Avenatti is himself a convicted fraudster who served part of his sentence in the same facility. He was sentenced to 14 years for defrauding clients and embezzling roughly $300,000 from a former client; that term was later reduced to about 11 years and he was ordered to repay roughly $7 million. Avenatti transferred to a halfway house in April 2026.

The Justice Department will review the pardon petition under standard procedures. Former President Donald Trump said in January 2026 he would not grant clemency to Bankman‑Fried. Courts have denied earlier requests for early release, and betting markets place Bankman‑Fried’s chances of a 2026 pardon at roughly 7%.

Avenatti argued that the lack of an admission of wrongdoing is relevant to clemency decisions and will strengthen opponents of a pardon. Bankman‑Fried’s legal team continues to pursue appeals while the pardon request undergoes review by the DOJ.