Ryan Salame, former co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, recently appeared on the Tucker Carlson Show on October 10, 2024, to discuss his legal battle.
He said he was unfairly charged with campaign finance violations after being accused of using creditor funds from Alameda Research, FTX’s sister company, to make political donations.
Salame compared his case to that of Sam Bankman-Fried, the former FTX CEO, who gave about $60 million to $70 million to Democratic candidates during the 2020 election but wasn’t charged with any campaign finance crimes.
He said “You have Sam Bankman-Fried, who’s in prison for a long time, but he’s not been charged with any campaign finance violations. He gave it to Democrats.”
The 31-year-old also claimed he was pressured to plead guilty because prosecutors threatened to investigate the mother of his child.
He stated, “They told me that if I pleaded guilty to these two crimes, they would not pursue my loved ones and look at anything that they had done or investigate them.” However, he now claims the government broke this agreement.
Salame has not been charged with any crimes directly related to the company’s downfall. However, he faces allegations of campaign finance violations . These charges stem from Salame borrowing funds from Alameda Research, FTX’s sister company, to make political donations.
Salame reportedly contributed between $20 million and $30 million to Republican candidates, raising questions about the legality of the funds used for these donations. He said he only borrowed the funds and claimed his lawyer advised him to mention that the contribution was legal.
He was also charged for operating without a money-transmitting license and found using company money in a straw donor scheme by making contributions in the names of others
However, he is starting his seven-and-half prison sentence today at the federal prison in Maryland. In the interview, he said he has already spent $6 million on legal fees and had to sell off his $4 million home in Potomac, Maryland, to clear the cost.
