Sam Bankman-Fried Loses His Appeal, and the 25-Year Sentence Holds

By Isaac • June 14, 2026 8:32 am •

Sam Bankman-Fried lost his appeal Friday. The conviction stands, and so does the 25-year sentence.

A federal appeals court panel ruled that the former FTX chief failed to convince judges his trial was unfair. That was the core of his argument, and the court rejected it.

The $11 billion restitution order also remains in place. Nothing about the original judgment was loosened.

JUST IN: Sam Bankman-Fried has lost his appeal against his conviction on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy.

— CoinDesk (@CoinDesk) June 12, 2026

This was the ordinary appeal, the first real chance to unwind the case. With it gone, Bankman-Fried is down to the rare and difficult options that almost never work.