The United States Attorney’s Office has opposed a petition from former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame to void his guilty plea related to charges of campaign finance violations.
In an Aug. 26 filing with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, prosecutors stated their intention to oppose Salame’s petition in writing by Sept. 4. Salame’s legal team had filed a petition for a writ of error coram nobis, seeking to have the court overturn Salame’s plea agreement, which had resulted in a 7.5-year prison sentence.
Salame argued that during his plea negotiations, prosecutors implied they would not pursue an investigation into his partner, Michelle Bond. However, on Aug. 22, authorities unsealed an indictment against Bond, charging her with violations of campaign finance laws related to her 2022 campaign for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Salame’s petition is premised on the (demonstrably false) allegation that he was induced to plead guilty based on representations by the Government that in exchange for pleading guilty, the Government would cease investigating Bond for conspiring with Salame to commit criminal campaign finance violations,” stated the filing.
