Ryan Salame, a former senior executive at FTX, is challenging his guilty plea in a case involving campaign finance and money-transmitting offenses. Salame argues that prosecutors have failed to honor their commitment to cease investigating his fiancée, Michelle Bond, a key component of his plea deal.
On August 21, Salame submitted a petition for a “writ of coram nobis,” a legal motion aimed at overturning a previous court decision. This petition seeks to withdraw his guilty plea, originally entered in September 2023 on two felony counts.
Salame contends that he was assured by the government that if he pleaded guilty, they would stop their inquiry into Bond. Contrary to this promise, the investigation into Bond has allegedly continued.
In his filing, Salame demands either the dismissal of any charges against Bond or the opportunity to retract his plea. He claims that prosecutors used coercion by exploiting his relationship with Bond to secure his guilty plea, and asserts that his conviction should be nullified.
Salame’s court filing states, “If the Government is not held to its assurances, the Court should nonetheless grant post-conviction relief because the assurances made during the plea negotiations were unlawfully coercive, and the entire plea agreement and conviction must be vacated.” He is seeking either a dismissal of charges against Bond, the vacating of his conviction, or a hearing to address these concerns.
On August 22, Salame expressed his unease on social media, stating his fear of increased government scrutiny. He tweeted, “Government replied – my submission is SELF-SERVING?? The opposite, lock me up, just abide by the promise you know you made if I agreed.”
Salame was sentenced in May to 7.5 years in prison for conspiracy involving illegal political contributions and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. He is scheduled to start his sentence on October 13 and faces over $6 million in forfeiture and more than $5 million in restitution.
Federal prosecutors had investigated Bond, a former congressional candidate, in 2023 for alleged campaign finance violations linked to her 2022 congressional run. The probe focused on financial contributions Salame made to her campaign and loans she received to support her candidacy.
Salame is now advocating for either a dismissal of charges against his partner or a reevaluation of his plea agreement, urging the government to uphold its initial promises.
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