{"id":11881,"date":"2025-05-09T01:18:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T23:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wsj-crypto.com\/?p=11881"},"modified":"2025-05-09T01:18:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T23:18:50","slug":"ex-ftx-executives-spouse-claims-government-coerced-guilty-plea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wsj-crypto.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/09\/ex-ftx-executives-spouse-claims-government-coerced-guilty-plea\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-FTX Executive’s Spouse Claims Government Coerced Guilty Plea"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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.<\/p>\n

In a May 7 submission to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Bond\u2019s attorneys reaffirmed<\/a> 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 \u201csubterfuge and deceit\u201d by apparently promising they would not pursue charges against Bond.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Salame and Ms. Bond\u2019s 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,\u201d the submission indicated, adding:<\/p>\n

\u201cAt 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.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

May 7 filing seeking dismissal of one charge against Michelle Bond. Source: <\/em>Courtlistener<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Prosecutors accused Bond in August 2024<\/a> 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<\/a> with prosecutors, asserting it included a guarantee not to prosecute Bond.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong><\/em>Former FTX executive Ryan Salame\u2019s prison sentence reduced by 1 year<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The May 7 filing requested the court to exclude any statements made by Bond following the alleged \u201cinducement\u201d relating to Salame\u2019s agreement. The former FTX executive lodged similar allegations in legal documents<\/a> aiming to invalidate his plea, but later abandoned the issue and checked into prison in October 2024.<\/p>\n