Michelle Bond, the spouse of former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame, who is facing federal campaign finance allegations, is advocating for dismissal based on the assertion that US prosecutors misled her husband during a plea agreement.
In a May 7 submission to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Bond’s attorneys reaffirmed some of the assertions Salame presented when contesting his plea arrangement with the government, which ultimately resulted in his imprisonment. She asserted that prosecutors acquired a deal with Salame through “subterfuge and deceit” by apparently promising they would not pursue charges against Bond.
“Mr. Salame and Ms. Bond’s legal representatives were informed that the commitment to halt investigations into Ms. Bond could not be explicitly stated within the confines of the Salame plea or any other written agreement, yet the government still proposed it as an incentive to secure the plea,” the submission indicated, adding:
“At the very least, sufficient evidence exists to demonstrate a valid factual disagreement regarding the nature and extent of the assurances made to Mr. Salame and Ms. Bond to coax his guilty plea, warranting a hearing with discovery.”
Prosecutors accused Bond in August 2024 of conspiracy to generate unlawful campaign contributions, facilitating and endorsing excessive campaign donations, and orchestrating an illicit corporate contribution alongside conduit contributions stemming from her unsuccessful bid for a US House of Representatives seat in 2022. Salame, who admitted guilt to two felonies in 2023 and later faced over seven years in prison, sought to annul his agreement with prosecutors, asserting it included a guarantee not to prosecute Bond.
Related: Former FTX executive Ryan Salame’s prison sentence reduced by 1 year
The May 7 filing requested the court to exclude any statements made by Bond following the alleged “inducement” relating to Salame’s agreement. The former FTX executive lodged similar allegations in legal documents aiming to invalidate his plea, but later abandoned the issue and checked into prison in October 2024.
Bond suggested that her candidacy as a Republican — akin to the politically-driven claims made by Salame — had played a role in the campaign finance allegations. The indictment claimed she submitted false reports to the Federal Election Commission concerning funds allocated for her campaign.
The FTX narrative hasn’t concluded… yet
Since the downfall of FTX in 2022, nearly all former executives charged with offenses related to the misappropriation of the crypto exchange’s funds have appeared in court.
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who pled not guilty, underwent a trial in 2023 and was subsequently sentenced to 25 years in prison. His attorneys initiated an appeal, and reports indicated he might be seeking a pardon from US President Donald Trump.
Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, received a two-year prison sentence in September 2024 as part of a plea agreement and started serving her sentence in November. Nishad Singh and Gary Wang, former executives of FTX who also pleaded guilty to charges, were sentenced to time already served in 2024.
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