In a stunning move that reaffirms his crypto-friendly stance, President Donald Trump has pardoned the three co-founders of cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX. Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed received full pardons on March 28, 2025, wiping away their guilty pleas to federal charges related to money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act violations.
These guys weren’t small-time players. They ran what prosecutors called a “money laundering platform” that basically ignored anti-money laundering programs and proper know-your-customer procedures. BitMEX allowed U.S. customers to trade with the kind of anonymity that makes regulators break out in hives.
BitMEX: where money laundering got an upgrade and customer anonymity made regulators twitch uncontrollably.
Before Trump’s pardon pen came out, the trio had been serving probation—Hayes got two years, Delo thirty months, and Reed eighteen. They’d also been ordered to cough up $30 million in civil fines. Reed notably entered a guilty plea in 2022 that resulted in a $10 million personal fine. BitMEX itself had to pay a cool $100 million for its regulatory sins. Not anymore!
The pardoned founders wasted no time celebrating. Delo claimed they were “unjustly targeted” while Hayes kept it simple with a “Thank You” post on X. Their legal teams? Mysteriously silent. Shocker.
Trump’s crypto love affair didn’t start with BitMEX. He previously pardoned Ross Ulbricht of Silk Road fame, appointed crypto-friendly Mark Uyeda to chair the SEC, and has been stockpiling tokens like a doomsday prepper hoards canned beans.
He’s also shut down SEC investigations faster than a Vegas casino closes a winning table. This approach follows his earlier executive order to stockpile Bitcoin tokens, a move that signaled his administration’s commitment to cryptocurrency.
The pardons have significantly influenced market sentiment, driving renewed investor optimism across the broader cryptocurrency space.
The big question now: is Roger Ver next? The man known as “Bitcoin Jesus” might be watching these pardons with renewed hope. The crypto community is buzzing with speculation.
These pardons have sparked fierce debate about accountability in the wild west of cryptocurrency. Some see it as overdue justice for innovators trapped by “obscure, antiquated” laws. Others see a dangerous precedent.
Either way, the message is clear—Trump’s America is crypto country. Deal with it.
