Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced on Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world’s most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.

Bankman-Fried, 32, was convicted in November of fraud and conspiracy — a dramatic fall from a crest of success that included a Super Bowl advertisement and celebrity endorsements from stars like quarterback Tom Brady, basketball star Stephen Curry and comedian Larry David.

US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan imposed the sentence in the same Manhattan courtroom where, four months ago, Bankman-Fried testified that his intention had been to revolutionise the emerging cryptocurrency market with his innovative and altruistic ideas, not to steal.

Kaplan said the sentence reflected “that there is a risk that this man will be in position to do something very bad in the future. And it’s not a trivial risk at all”.

He added that it was “for the purpose of disabling him to the extent that can appropriately be done for a significant period of time”.

Kaplan ordered Bankman-Fried to forfeit over $11 billion. He also said he would advise the Federal Bureau of Prisons to send him to a medium-security prison or less near the San Francisco area because he’s unlikely to be a physical threat to other inmates, and his autism and social awkwardness would make him vulnerable to other inmates in a high-security location. Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 40 to 50 years.

Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried had cost customers, investors and lenders over $10 billion by misappropriating billions to fuel his quest for influence in the new industry, and had illegally used money from FTX depositors to cover his expenses, which included purchasing luxury properties in the Caribbean, alleged bribes to Chinese officials and private planes.