Jailed FTX Exec Withdraws His Request to Compel Government to Abide by Plea Deal

A week ago, Salame’s legal team submitted a court petition claiming that investigators had coerced Salame into admitting guilt in an unfair manner. They allegedly induced him to confess by suggesting they would halt their investigations concerning Michelle Bond, Salame’s long-term partner and the mother of his child.

A day before the allegations against Bond became public knowledge, Salame submitted a petition. Bond, who once served as a lawyer for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and headed a crypto advocacy group in Washington D.C., was charged in federal court on August 22 with accepting illicit campaign contributions from Salame and other FTX employees during his unsuccessful bid for a Congressional seat in 2022.

The petition claims that, during plea discussions, prosecutors suggested they’d stop investigating Bond if Salame chose to plead guilty.

Now that Bond has been indicted, however, Salame is changing course.

In the recently submitted court documents, I, as Mr. Salame’s representative, have decided to retract the Petition. This move enables Ms. Bond to address the matter within her own proceedings. It is important to clarify that my client, Mr. Salame, firmly upholds the facts outlined in the original Petition and his accompanying declaration. However, by withdrawing the Petition, we aim to provide an opportunity for Ms. Bond to present her case and secure a ruling based on her evidence.

Given that the main request in Ms. Bond’s Petition is for the dismissal of the charges against her, it would be logical to address the concerns brought forth in the Petition in the case where these charges are currently being heard. This is what Salame’s legal team suggested.

On August 22, Bond made an appearance before a judge in the Southern District of New York (SDNY). The judge set his bail at one million dollars.

She faces four accusations linked to suspected campaign finance infractions: one for conspiring to make illegal political donations, another for making and receiving excess campaign contributions that are deemed illegal, yet another for accepting an illegal corporate contribution, and lastly, for accepting a conduit contribution that was also unlawful.

Each count carries a maximum five year sentence, if convicted.