Sam Bankman-Fried's latest California prison once housed Al Capone

Former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried has moved from a transit facility to a California prison that once housed infamous gangster Al Capone.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, officials moved Bankman-Fried from the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City briefly to the Federal Correctional Institution in Victorville before transferring him to a facility in Terminal Island in Los Angeles, California. The federal institution was once home to criminals like former Theranos chief operating officer Ramesh Balwani and Capone, who was convicted of tax evasion in 1931.

During his 2023 trial and following his conviction on seven felony counts in 2024, Bankman-Fried was housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York. However, officials moved the former FTX CEO after he was the subject of an interview by right-wing political commentator Tucker Carlson — an activity reportedly unsanctioned by authorities.

It’s unclear whether Bankman-Fried will remain at the California facility until his tentative release date in 2044. A New York judge initially allowed SBF to remain in the state to assist during the appeal of his conviction and sentence — a process that could be hampered by the former FTX CEO’s current location.

Moving to the right for a pardon?

Since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, reports have suggested that Bankman-Fried may be attempting to reach out to right-wing advocates in an attempt to secure a presidential pardon. Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht received a pardon from Trump during his first few days in office — reportedly in a push to win over libertarians in the election — and is scheduled to appear at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas.

Other former FTX executives, including Caroline Ellison and Ryan Salame, remain incarcerated in different facilities and largely out of the news since reporting to prison. FTX co-founder Gary Wang and former engineering director Nishad Singh were the only two individuals named in the initial indictment who received time served rather than prison.

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