- Circumstances of the Controversial Deal
- Ryan's and Prosecutors' Reactions
- Parallel Cases and Conclusion
Former FTX executive Ryan Salame is back in court today after a controversial deal led to his guilty plea last year and a 7.5-year prison sentence.
Circumstances of the Controversial Deal
Ryan Salame struck an unusual plea deal. His lawyers claim the deal was made behind closed doors, with prosecutors making promises they didn’t keep. Last month, Ryan’s legal team asked Judge Lewis Kaplan to void his guilty plea for campaign finance and money-transmitting crimes. Their argument: prosecutors didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.
Ryan's and Prosecutors' Reactions
Ryan’s attorneys said the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office told them in April 2023 that if Ryan pled guilty, they’d stop investigating his partner, Michelle Bond. But when Michelle got indicted anyway, Ryan filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea. In response, prosecutors presented a 32-page memo refuting Ryan’s claims and asserting the legitimacy of the deal. Judge Kaplan mandated Ryan's court attendance as a bail condition.
Parallel Cases and Conclusion
Meanwhile, Caroline Ellison, like Ryan, played a major role in the downfall of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire. She cooperated with authorities, returning from the Bahamas and providing crucial testimony. Judge Kaplan referenced her testimony when sentencing Sam to 25 years in prison. The court’s Probation Department sided with Caroline, recommending 'time served' with three years of supervised release, citing her 'extraordinary cooperation with the government' and clean external record.
The legal proceedings involving former FTX executives continue to unravel, providing new twists in the complex cases tied to the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange.
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