'White collar defendants' and crypto entrepreneurs 'cast themselves as victims' in bid for Trump’s mercy

11 March

Sam Bankman-Fried in an interview during the Bitcoin 2021 conference, Image via YouTube/Wikimedia Commons.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has pardoned and granted clemency to many high profile individuals — and "potential petitioners have taken notice," Politico reports.

Per Politico, "white-collar defendants [are] jolting to attention" and "casting themselves as victims of a crooked justice system" in a bid for Trump's lenience.

“A Democratic District of Columbia Council member facing federal bribery charges has lavished public praise on Trump’s pick to lead the FBI; a Bitcoin entrepreneur fighting extradition from Spain on tax charges has sat down with Tucker Carlson to plead his case," Politico reports.

Sam Mangel, a consultant for incarcerated individuals, told Politico "everybody that is in prison now is keenly aware of the environment."

"It’s become a very hot topic within the low- and minimum-security inmate communities,” Mangel said.

"People intimately familiar with the current parameters" told Mangel there are "limits" to Trump's leniency, Politico reports.

Per Politico, "Undocumented immigrants and people convicted of sexual, drug-related or violent crimes, [Mangel] said, need not apply. A White House spokesperson, Elizabeth Huston, declined to comment.”

Mangel told Politico he's receiving two to four inquiries a day and has had to hire extra paralegals to handle the surge. “The level of interest is unheard of," he said.

As Politico notes, "crypto entrepreneurs" are at the top of trump's pardon list.

Bitcoin miner Joby Weeks is one such entrepreneur vying for the president's attention.

"Weeks pleaded guilty to tax evasion and an unregistered securities offering related to his crypto activities, and he has been awaiting sentencing ever since, as the Justice Department continues to pursue a broader conspiracy case against other defendants." Politico reports.

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