US authorities oppose ex-FTX exec’s motion to void plea deal

The United States Attorney’s Office opposes a petition from former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame to void his guilty plea as part of charges involving campaign finance violations.

In an Aug. 26 filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, prosecutors said they would oppose a petition brought by Salame’s legal team in writing by Sept. 4. The former FTX executive’s lawyers filed a petition for a writ of error coram nobis, attempting to have the court overturn Salame’s plea agreement that resulted in a 7.5-year prison sentence.

Salame claimed that prosecutors implied during his plea negotiations that they would not pursue an investigation into his partner, Michelle Bond. On Aug. 22, authorities unsealed an indictment against Bond for campaign finance law violations related to her 2022 campaign for a seat in the US 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,” said the filing.