Former FTX Executive Ryan Salame Seeks Enforcement Of Plea Deal Over Alleged Broken Government Promises

Former FTX executive Ryan Salame, who was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison, is now urging the court to enforce a plea agreement that he claims was breached by the government.

What Happened: In a new court filing, Salame’s attorneys argue that the plea deal, which was supposed to protect his partner, Michelle Bond, from further legal scrutiny, has not been honored.

Salame had initially entered into a plea agreement in September 2023, admitting to campaign finance violations and running an unlicensed money transmitting business—a role he held in orchestrating FTX’s fiat-to-crypto payment systems.

As part of the deal, the government was expected to cease its investigation into Bond, who had previously been a Republican congressional candidate and is now the CEO of a fintech think tank.

Bond is currently under investigation by Manhattan federal prosecutors for alleged campaign finance violations connected to contributions made during her 2022 congressional campaign.

“Yet despite Salame's cooperation, the Government failed to honor its implied commitment not to pursue the campaign-finance charges against Bond,” the court filing states.

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Salame’s legal team contends that federal prosecutors used the plea negotiations to pressure Salame into pleading guilty by implying that Bond, who is also the mother of his child, would be spared from further investigation.

Salame's attorneys are now requesting that the court enforce the government's original promise to drop the investigation into Bond or, alternatively, vacate Salame's conviction.

“Salame is entitled to hold the Government to its assurance by either withdrawing his plea or obtaining an order directing specific performance,” the filing asserts.

Salame himself has remained vocal about the issue, taking to social media platform X to express his frustration.

He posted that he hopes his court filing “encourages more people to be honest and tell the truth and expose un-American tactics.”

“I hope it helps at least one person in the future; the justice system is fragile but so important,” he added.

As this legal battle unfolds, the broader implications for the cryptocurrency industry and legal accountability will be a key topic at the upcoming Benzinga Future of Digital Assets event on Nov. 19.

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