FTX Director Ryan Salame Updates LinkedIn Before Going to Prison: ‘Starts New Inmate Position’ | Popular

Former FTX director Ryan Salame prepared to begin his prison sentence by updating his LinkedIn on Wednesday. Salame, 31, has been sentenced to seven and a half years behind bars for his role in the multi-billion dollar Bankman-Fried cryptocurrency fraud.

The former co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets shared a life update on LinkedIn two days before he was asked to report to a federal correctional facility in Cumberland, Maryland, Business Insider reported.

“I am happy to share that I am starting a new position as an inmate at FCI Cumberland,” Salame posted on Wednesday.

View the message here

Salame has been posting regularly on social media since his conviction on May 28, sometimes sharing dozens of updates in one day.

Salame was part of Bankman-Fried’s inner circle and was one of four FTX executives who pleaded guilty after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2022. He is accused of making hundreds of illegal donations to political campaigns.

Hoping for forgiveness

According to a Bloomberg report, Ryan Salame has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for violating campaign finance law. He pleaded guilty last year to evading US banking laws and participating in a straw donor program for Sam Bankman-Fried.

In an interview on Tuesday, he said he had made a plea to protect his wife, crypto lobbyist Michelle Bond. However, he recently attempted to backtrack on his plea, accusing prosecutors of breaking a promise to drop their investigation into Bond in exchange for his guilty plea. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan denied this claim, calling his actions “shameless.”

The 31-year-old is now hoping for a pardon from whoever wins the US presidential elections. “I would be even more shocked if Harris awarded it based on certain political issues,” said Salame, who donated $22.6 million to Republicans during his time at FTX. “But I think there’s a good thing either way. If anyone pays attention for half a second, a lot of this doesn’t make any sense.”

(With input from Bloomberg)