Sam Bankman-Fried Transferred to Oklahoma Facility Following Controversial Tucker Carlson Interview

Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of FTX, has been moved to the Oklahoma City Federal Transfer Center (FTC) as part of the next steps in serving his fraud sentence. The move follows a controversial incident earlier this month when Bankman-Fried conducted a remote interview with Tucker Carlson while being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.  The interview, which aired without prior approval from prison officials, resulted in the resignation of his crisis manager, Mark Botnick. Notably, the FTC is a central hub in the U.S. federal prison system and temporarily houses inmates before they are transferred to other facilities. The move is an early step toward his permanent placement at a lower-security prison, potentially in California’s Bay Area, closer to his family. Bankman-Fried’s Controversial Claims In the interview with Carlson, Bankman-Fried reiterated his belief that he was wrongfully convicted. He boldly asserted, "I don’t think I was a criminal," downplaying the severity of the charges against him.  Furthermore, Bankman-Fried claimed that FTX was solvent and could have reached $93 billion in assets had it not collapsed. In his words : "Had nothing intervened, today FTX would have about $15 billion in liabilities and approximately $93 billion in assets. There was enough money to pay everyone back in full at the time." In addition to his defense, Bankman-Fried has attempted to align with right-wing political figures. He hinted at a shift in his political views, possibly to gain political favor and leverage potential clemency options as the wave of presidential pardons continues to sweep through the U.S. The Road Ahead for the FTX Founder Last year, a jury convicted Bankman-Fried of seven counts of fraud and money laundering related to the $11 billion collapse of FTX and its sister company, Alameda Research. He is set to serve a sentence that could stretch until November 2044. During his interview with Carlson, he voiced concerns about his ability to endure the full term, suggesting the possibility of suicide. He pointed out that the suicide rate in prison is three times higher than average, citing the psychological toll the environment can take on inmates.