Sam Bankman-Fried discusses life in prison and calls Diddy kind in Tucker Carlson interview

Sam Bankman-Fried, serving 25 years for fraud, shares prison experiences.

FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for defrauding users of his cryptocurrency exchange, described fellow inmate Sean "Diddy" Combs as "kind" in a jailhouse interview with Tucker Carlson. 

The interview, conducted from Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, aired on The Tucker Carlson Show on Thursday.

Bankman-Fried, 33, revealed that he shares a unit with Combs, who has been charged with sex trafficking. Speaking about the music mogul, he noted, “I’ve only seen one piece of him, which is Diddy in prison, and he’s been kind to people in the unit; he’s been kind to me.”

Convicted in November 2023 on seven counts of wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering, Bankman-Fried was found guilty of what prosecutors described as one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history. 

He told Carlson that his time in prison has been “dystopian” but that he does not feel physically threatened. He also claimed to have made friends among inmates, including former gang members, and remarked on their unexpected skill in chess.

Discussing his changing political views, Bankman-Fried explained that while he was a major donor to President Joe Biden in 2020, his experiences in Washington later led him to support Republicans privately. 

He denied using political connections during his trial and also addressed past speculation about his erratic behavior, refuting claims that he had taken Adderall. Shifting to the future, he expressed optimism about cryptocurrency under President Donald Trump, citing ongoing regulatory improvements.

When asked about his financial situation, he admitted he had “basically no” money left, as he was ordered to pay $11 billion in forfeiture.

Marking his 33rd birthday behind bars, Bankman-Fried said he had no plans to celebrate, admitting that he wasn’t fond of birthdays even before his conviction.