TLDR
- Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) appeared in a Tucker Carlson interview from prison, discussing his life at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn
- SBF mentioned that rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is also detained there, has been kind to him
- SBF denied being a criminal and criticized former SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s approach to crypto regulation
- SBF claimed he donated to Republicans privately as much as Democrats by late 2022
- SBF expressed optimism about crypto regulation under Trump’s administration
Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, recently gave a rare interview from behind bars with Tucker Carlson. Currently serving a 25-year sentence for fraud, the 33-year-old shared insights about his prison experience and thoughts on the crypto industry’s future.
In the interview, Bankman-Fried appeared healthy and in good spirits despite his circumstances. He wore a brown jacket and gray t-shirt while sipping from a white flask as he spoke with the independent journalist. The conversation took place at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he is currently incarcerated.
Sam Bankman-Fried is doing 25 years behind bars, and is now sharing a cell block with Diddy. He joins us from prison for an update on his new life.
(0:00) What Has Prison Been Like?
(2:28) Was SBF Ever on Adderall?
(4:42) SBF Meeting Diddy in Prison
(7:01) How Prison Has Changed… pic.twitter.com/mNSNktLibg— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) March 6, 2025
Bankman-Fried revealed he shares the facility with Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. “He’s been kind to people in the unit. He’s been kind to me,” Bankman-Fried said about the rapper. This unexpected connection between two high-profile detainees has drawn attention.
The former crypto executive strongly denied being a criminal during the interview. When asked if he was the biggest criminal in the crypto business, he replied, “I don’t think I was a criminal. Certainly, the answer to that is no. I mean, I think the DOJ [US Department of Justice] thinks that I may have been, but I don’t share their viewpoint.”
Bankman-Fried was particularly critical of former SEC Chairman Gary Gensler. He described Gensler’s approach to crypto regulation as “something out of a nightmare” and accused him of being motivated by political ambition. “He wanted his agency to get more power,” Bankman-Fried claimed, suggesting Gensler hoped to raise his profile enough to become Treasury Secretary.
Political Donations
The interview touched on Bankman-Fried’s political donations, which became a key issue during his trial. Evidence revealed he donated up to $119 million to politicians during the 2022 election cycle. Carlson questioned why Democrats didn’t help him avoid prison despite these contributions.
Bankman-Fried offered an explanation for this apparent abandonment.
“By late 2022, I was giving to Republicans privately as much as Democrats, and that started becoming known right around FTX’s collapse. So, I probably played a role,” he said. He added that most Democratic politicians distanced themselves from him “as quickly as possible” after FTX’s collapse.
The former billionaire also discussed how few associates remained loyal after his downfall. He expressed understanding about this mass exodus, noting the intense pressure people faced during FTX’s high-profile collapse. “Anyone who was close to me ended with a gun in their head. You know, being told they had two options, and one of them involved decades in prison,” he stated.
Bankman-Fried specifically mentioned former FTX co-CEO Ryan Salame as “the saddest example” of someone who faced legal pressure. Salame was sentenced to 90 months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud and conspiracy counts in May 2024. According to Bankman-Fried, Salame was charged with “totally bogus crimes” and prosecutors threatened to charge his pregnant wife.
Life in Prison
Daily life in prison presents its own challenges. Bankman-Fried described it as “dystopian” and “soul crushing,” but mentioned he has made some friends. He noted that many inmates are surprisingly skilled at chess, saying, “Former armed robbers who don’t speak English and probably didn’t graduate middle school — a surprising number are surprisingly good at chess.”
The prison economy also came up during the conversation. Bankman-Fried explained that inmates use muffins as currency in a “muffin economy.” He personally hoards muffins but doesn’t eat them, preferring rice, beans, and ramen noodles instead. “The scale of everything is so diminished in prison, you see people fighting over a single banana,” he observed.
When asked about his future, Bankman-Fried expressed uncertainty about serving his full 25-year sentence. “I’m not sure,” he told Carlson when asked if he could make it. “The hardest thing is just not having something meaningful to be doing in here.” If he serves his complete sentence, he will be 57 years old upon release.
President Trump
On a more optimistic note, Bankman-Fried expressed hope about the future of cryptocurrency under President Donald Trump’s administration. He observed that the Trump administration is saying “a lot of good things” about crypto, representing a shift from the Biden administration’s stance. “Obviously, it’s the follow-through that matters and that is the state we are in right now,” he added.
The interview prompted the resignation of Mark Botnick, Bankman-Fried’s media representative. Botnick told Business Insider he was unaware of the planned interview with Carlson and had no involvement with it. On-camera interviews from prisons are unusual in the United States, though the Metropolitan Detention Center has video teleconferencing equipment typically used for inmate-lawyer communications.
