Crypto Hopefuls Watch As Trump Weighs 250 Pardons for America’s 250th Birthday

The White House is reportedly weighing roughly 250 presidential pardons to mark America’s 250th birthday, the Wall Street Journal reports. Crypto’s most prominent legal cases are already running the numbers.

The plan remains preliminary. Yet it surfaces as Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), Roger Ver, and other crypto defendants intensify their bids for clemency from Donald Trump.

A Pardon Pool Built for Symbolism

Trump has already issued more than 1,600 acts of clemency in his second term. That is several times more than the 250 he granted across his entire first term, and a meaningful share has flowed straight into the crypto industry.

In October 2025, the president pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao after his guilty plea on anti-money laundering charges.

Earlier the same year, the BitMEX co-founders and Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht received clemency of their own.

A symbolic batch of 250 pardons, packaged around Independence Day, would extend a pattern critics call transactional and supporters frame as a correction of past prosecutions.

“Ulbricht was sentenced to two life sentences, plus 40 years, a sentence worse than the worst drug sellers on the site,” wrote Collin Rugg.

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Who in Crypto Could Still Walk Free

Three names dominate the speculation. Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted founder of FTX, has run a sustained public campaign for relief. Trump explicitly denied the request in January, but allies have not stopped lobbying.

While SBF’s pardon hopes have been dashed, Trump has signaled openness to clemency in other crypto-related cases. The President recently said he would “look at” the case of Samourai Wallet CEO Keonne Rodriguez.

Roger Ver, the early BTC backer widely called “Bitcoin Jesus,” has pushed harder than almost anyone. He hired political operative Roger Stone and recorded a direct video plea.

Elon Musk has reportedly explored backing his case as well, just like Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and other crypto leaders.

“Genuine good faith mistakes should be treated by giving the actor the opportunity to pay back taxes if needed with interest and penalties, not with prosecution,” Buterin proposed in reference to Roger Ver.

Joby Weeks, a miner who pleaded guilty to tax-related charges tied to a crypto scheme, is also seeking inclusion.

Former FTX executive Ryan Salame has openly aligned with MAGA messaging in his own quiet bid for relief.

Others have even called for extending clemency to Do Kwon, the embattled founder of the collapsed Terra/Luna ecosystem.

Why Summer 2026 Is the Window to Watch

The Senate is already investigating Trump’s crypto pardons. A bundled July 4 announcement would magnify scrutiny but also let the administration tuck clemency inside a celebratory national moment.

The stakes stretch beyond any single defendant, particularly for crypto. Each pardon resets how prosecutors and exchanges read the regulatory mood.

A symbolic 250 could send the loudest signal yet that the legal cost of running a crypto business has fundamentally shifted in the United States.

The final list, if it materializes, may surface in weeks rather than months. Which founder, hacker or trader earns a spot remains anybody’s guess.

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