Sam Bankman-Fried Swaps Brutal "Victimville" for Softer California Lockup

Holy crypto drama! Sam Bankman-Fried, the notorious ex-CEO of FTX, has just been shuffled from a hardcore prison nicknamed 'Victimville' to a much more chill low-security spot in California. Yep, you heard that right, the guy's now chilling at the Federal Correctional Institution Terminal Island in LA, a breezy three-hour journey from his previous nightmare.

This new joint in Los Angeles has seen its fair share of big names, including music mogul Mouli Cohen and the slick-talking former stockbroker Anthony Elgindy, both of whom got nabbed for fraud among other juicy charges.

And guess what? Terminal Island isn't just another dreary prison. It's got a full-on law library that inmates can hit up for a cool $360 a month from their commissary account. Plus, they're throwing in wellness and social programs, not to mention some sweet vocational courses in welding, plumbing, cabinet making, and even baking and cooking. Talk about turning your life around!

Bankman-Fried's move seems to be a win for his legal team, who've been pushing hard to get him out of the tougher South California medium-security setup. They've been waving around his clean criminal record and his autism diagnosis as reasons why he deserved this transfer. But, the Federal Bureau of Prisons is keeping tight-lipped about why they finally said yes.

What was Sam Bankman-Fried’s previous facility like?

Before this, our boy SBF was doing hard time in Victorville, California—a place that makes your skin crawl. He was there for almost two weeks, after bouncing around from an Oklahoma Transfer Center and spending 18 months in the rough-and-tumble Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Victorville, or "Victimville" as the internet calls it, is where the real nightmares happen. Gang violence runs rampant, fights are the norm, and stabbings? Just another day in the yard. In January 2023, three inmates got slapped with second-degree murder charges for a brutal beating back in 2013. And if that wasn't enough, another inmate got a conviction for attempted murder after stabbing a warden in 2017. Even the guards aren’t safe there!

Bankman-Fried, now sentenced to 25 years for pulling off seven counts of fraud and conspiracy, is staring down a release date of December 14, 2044. But don't count him out yet—his parents are reportedly pulling every string they can to get a presidential pardon from none other than Donald Trump. Remember, Trump once let Silk Road's Ross Ulbricht off the hook, giving hope to other white-collar crooks dreaming of freedom.