Disgraced FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried transferring to California prison, WSJ reports

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, is set to be transferred to a prison in Central California.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the 32-year-old is being moved to the federal prison in Mendota, Calif., located in western Fresno County.

Federal Correctional Institution Mendota has both a medium-security facility and a minimum-security satellite camp. It's unclear which of the facilities he will soon be housed in, but due to the nature of his crimes, experts told the Wall Street Journal he would likely start his stay at the medium-security facility.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on the transfer, saying it only releases inmates' locations after transfers are complete.

In April, Bankman-Fried's lawyers requested he stay at a federal prison in Brooklyn, N.Y., while they prepare for his appeal.

However, in the long run, they had asked that he be sent to a federal prison in California, where he has family. The move to Mendota will place him within a two-and-a-half-hour drive from his parents, who live in the Bay Area.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the transfer of Bankman-Fried started on Wednesday, citing sources. The move could take several weeks.

Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for committing what prosecutors called "one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history."