Indicted Crypto Founder Makes Desperate Plea for Trump Pardon – Will Politics Override Justice?

Crypto's fallen kingpin throws a Hail Mary pass straight to the Oval Office.

Subheader: From Blockchain to Begging

The founder—once celebrated for disrupting finance—now seeks presidential intervention to dodge accountability. Sound familiar? Just another day in the Wild West of digital assets.

Subheader: The Pardon Playbook

Legal experts call it a longshot. Crypto Twitter calls it performance art. Either way, it's a masterclass in leveraging political chaos—because when your token tanks, why not bet on partisan drama?

Closing jab: At least this founder isn't asking for a bailout... just a get-out-of-jail-free card. Priorities, right?

Co-Founder Seeks Pardon To Avoid French Extradition? 

In a July 11 report by a Russian media outlet, Ivan Melnikov, vice president of the Russian branch of the International Committee for Human Rights, revealed that Legkodymov has officially asked TRUMP for a federal pardon. According to Melnikov, this move comes as the French authorities try to extradite the Bitzlato co-founder to France.

Reports suggest that the French authorities are trying to extradite Legkodymov to face similar charges of operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The Russian engineer faces up to 20 years in France for allowing the transfer of significant funds connected to cyber crimes and attacks.

Melnikov told the Russian outlet:

Anatoly is not a criminal; he became a target in a political campaign against the crypto market and talented Russian programmers. His decision to ask for a pardon is based on the hope that the US will return to a more balanced and fair approach to digital finance, and that the US and Russia will gradually build dialogue.

This request might be more strategic than random, considering that Trump has issued roughly 58 presidential pardons since taking the Oval Office in January. Notably, the US President pardoned the Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was facing two life sentences in federal prison.

Has Crypto Completely Won Trump’s Heart?

Ross Ulbricht is only one of numerous crypto figures to have received federal pardons from Trump in the past few months. Four former executives of crypto exchange BitMEX, namely Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, Gregory Dwyer, and Samuel Reed, also received pardons from the president.

Earlier in May, former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao revealed that he applied for a pardon from Trump after serving jail time as part of his plea deal with the US Department of Justice. Recent reports suggest that the CEO of the now-defunct FTX exchange Sam Bankman-Fried is also trying to secure a federal pardon from the US President.