TechFlow News, March 23: According to a CoinDesk report, Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman—the parents of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF)—appeared on a CNN program, marking their first public challenge to their son’s conviction. They claimed customer funds “were always there” and cited the progress of FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings as grounds for SBF’s exoneration.
However, creditor representative Sunil Kavuri publicly refuted this claim, stating that all repayments are calculated in U.S. dollars based on asset valuations as of November 2022—the date of FTX’s bankruptcy filing—not in kind or at current market prices. Otherwise, creditors would receive significantly less than the assets’ present market value.
SBF’s parents also characterized Alameda Research’s misuse of customer funds as routine lending activity—a practice explicitly prohibited under proposed legislation in Hong Kong, the European Union, and the United States. Additionally, the couple publicly called on former President Trump to grant SBF a pardon; however, Trump stated in January this year that he would not consider it. SBF’s appeal remains pending.
