Former FTX executive Ryan Salame's partner Michelle Bond denies campaign finance violation allegations

Odaily Star Daily News FTX's former co-CEO Ryan Salame's partner Michelle Bond pleaded not guilty to four counts of campaign finance violations in the Southern District of New York federal court. These charges include conspiring to cause illegal campaign contributions, causing and accepting excessive campaign contributions, causing and accepting illegal corporate contributions, and causing and accepting middleman contributions. The charges stem from Bond's alleged concealment of the source of funds during her 2022 campaign for a Republican seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is alleged that Salame arranged for FTX to pay $400,000 to support her campaign, and Bond is accused of making false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and Congressional committees. It is worth noting that Salame had previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 90 months in prison, but after Bond was charged, he requested the court to dismiss his plea, claiming that the plea was based on the prosecution's promise not to investigate his partner. Judge Lewis Kaplan stated that he will consider whether to dismiss Salame's plea. Currently, Bond remains released on a $1 million bail but is restricted from traveling within the United States. Judge George Daniels has scheduled a pretrial conference for January 2025. As of September 18th, in the criminal prosecution cases involving FTX and Alameda Research, only Salame and SBF have been sentenced to imprisonment. Sentencing hearings for other executives involved in the case will take place in the coming months.