Key facts
- Michelle Bond, wife of former FTX executive Ryan Salame, will face campaign finance charges.
- A federal judge denied Bond's motion to dismiss the indictment.
- The judge found no evidence of a promise of immunity for Bond in exchange for Salame's guilty plea.
- Prosecutors allege Bond used FTX funds, facilitated by Salame, to illegally finance her 2022 congressional campaign.
- Bond faces charges including conspiracy to cause unlawful political contributions and making false statements.
Michelle Bond, the wife of former FTX executive Ryan Salame, will proceed with facing charges related to illicit campaign finance activities. A federal judge in Manhattan, George Daniels, on Wednesday denied Bond's attempt to dismiss the indictment, which alleges she used funds from the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX to finance her unsuccessful 2022 congressional campaign.
Judge Daniels stated there was "no ambiguity" in Ryan Salame's written plea agreement, asserting that all parties were aware the government had not promised Bond immunity at the time of Salame's guilty plea. Bond had claimed that a former Manhattan US Attorney, Danielle Sassoon, indicated in a 2023 meeting that if Salame pleaded guilty, the investigation concerning him would conclude without implicating Bond. However, the judge found the evidence "undisputably indicates that the Government did not promise to not prosecute Bond in exchange for Salame's guilty plea."
Evidence presented suggests that after Bond launched her congressional bid, Salame orchestrated a consulting agreement between Bond and FTX, through which she was paid $400,000. Prosecutors allege Bond subsequently used these funds, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars wired by Salame between June and August 2022, to illegally finance her campaign. The government further claims Bond attempted to conceal the source of these payments and made false statements to a congressional committee and the Federal Election Commission.
Bond's former lawyer, Gina Parlovecchio, testified under oath that she did not believe Sassoon's statement constituted a promise at the time it was made. Bond faces four charges: conspiring to cause unlawful political contributions, causing and receiving a straw donor contribution, and causing and accepting excessive and unlawful corporate contributions. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The denial of Bond's motion could pave the way for the final criminal trial linked to the FTX collapse.