FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Shares New Token Launch Plan From Prison

FTX Founder SBF’s Prison Routine and New Token Launch Comment Go Viral

$100 million. That's the figure Sam Bankman-Fried floated from inside his prison cell. Whether SBF could really launch a new token after prison changes the calculus for every trader still watching his next move and every market that reacted to his name this week.

His own cellmate isn't fully buying it — and the timing lines up with a pardon bid that's already moving the odds. Here's what's actually going on.

SBF's Daily Life at Lompoc, From Meds to a Memoir

A new feature from New York Magazine details how Sam Bankman-Fried, now 34, is spending his days at the Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc, California, where he's serving the 25-year sentence handed down in 2024 following his fraud conviction tied to FTX's collapse.

The report says SBF takes Adderall daily to manage clinical depression and ADHD, and that he's writing a serialized prison memoir titled Manfred from inside his cell. He has also reportedly described experiencing anhedonia, a reduced ability to feel pleasure, while keeping an upbeat tone in conversations with people outside.

Notably, SBF reportedly stepped away from the prison's race-based social groups. Rather than aligning with the predominantly white "Woods" crew, he kept playing chess and cards with inmates from other groups and now holds independent, non-affiliated status.

Source: Wu Blockchain X

Why a New Coin Comment From Prison Is Making Noise

The detail generating the most chatter involves a conversation with fellow inmate David Bunevacz. According to the report, when Bunevacz asked about life after release, SBF said serious money would require $50 million to $100 million in startup capital to build something real — and that he intended to launch his own coin once he's out, predicting people would flock to it.

Bunevacz pushed back, suggesting the comment was likely a joke and that mass adoption wasn't guaranteed even if SBF tried. That skepticism matters: it's the clearest signal yet that even people close to SBF treat any post-release crypto comeback as speculation, not a plan.

This isn't the first time SBF's name alone has moved a token. FTT, the exchange token tied to FTX, reportedly jumped roughly 50% intraday when news broke of his formal pardon filing, even though FTT has no functioning exchange behind it anymore. That reaction shows how fast speculative capital reattaches itself to SBF headlines, regardless of whether a real business — or a new token after prison — ever actually materializes.

Key Details: The Pardon Filing, the Odds, and the Appeal

SBF formally submitted a presidential pardon application to the Trump administration on June 8. Following that filing, betting platform Polymarket reportedly saw pardon odds for SBF double to around 14%, according to the report.

That number is one snapshot in a market that has swung widely over the past year, from single digits to over 30% depending on the news cycle, partly because the White House has previously said there's no plan to pardon him. The pardon bid also arrives shortly after a federal appeals court rejected SBF's attempt to overturn his fraud conviction and sentence entirely.

What to Watch Next?

Three things will shape what actually happens from here: whether the Justice Department's pardon office moves on SBF's June 8 filing, how Polymarket odds react to any fresh statements from the White House, and whether SBF's legal team pursues further appeals now that one has already failed.

None of that confirms a token is coming. It confirms only that SBF is still talking about one — and that traders are pricing in headlines, not certainty. For now, the only confirmed dates on the calendar are the June 8 filing itself and the ongoing federal sentence that runs through 2044 unless something changes.

Conclusion

The New York Magazine report paints a picture of SBF managing depression and ADHD, writing a memoir, and floating a future coin launch to a skeptical cellmate, all while his formal pardon request sits with the Trump administration and Polymarket's odds shift in real time. Whether any of that turns into an actual token depends entirely on a release date nobody can currently confirm.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile, and prediction market odds reflect speculative trading activity, not legal or factual certainty. Details about Sam Bankman-Fried's prison life are based on third-party reporting and have not been independently verified by CoinGabbar. Readers should conduct their own research before making any investment decisions.