Ryan Salame, once a key figure at FTX, has taken to LinkedIn to share his thoughts on beginning a 7.5-year prison sentence for fraud and conspiracy charges. Salame, who played a role in uncovering fraudulent activities involving FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, announced his new “position” as an inmate at FCI Cumberland on the platform.
In his post, Salame expressed enthusiasm about his new role, humorously adding “cleaning and whittling” as skills he will develop during his time in prison.
Last year, Salame pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including conspiring to make illegal political contributions and operating an unlicensed money transmission service. He later sought to withdraw his plea, arguing that prosecutors had not upheld their end of the agreement to cease their investigation into his partner, Michelle Bond, a former congressional candidate.
Bond, who ran in the Republican primary for New York’s 1st Congressional District in 2022, lost by a margin of 5,000 votes and was indicted in August on charges of violating campaign finance laws. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams accused her and Salame of attempting to illegally fund her campaign using funds from corporate sources while misleading Congress.
The two have been together since June 2021 and share a young child. Salame is implicated as “CC-1” in Bond’s indictment, related to a consulting agreement that funneled $400,000 from FTX to Bond, allegedly to support her campaign.
After reconsidering, Salame did not pursue vacating his guilty plea. Ultimately, he was sentenced to 90 months in prison, alongside nearly $11 million in financial penalties. The court ordered him to report to prison by October 11, adjusting from a previous date of October 13, which coincides with a Sunday.