Ryan Salame (born 1993 (1993)[1]) is an American convicted felon who operated an illegal money-transmitting business. He was the CEO of FTX Digital Markets, the
FTX subsidiary based in the Bahamas. He was the founder of the American Dream Federal Actionsuper PAC.[2]
During the 2022 bankruptcy proceedings of FTX, it was revealed that the company loaned Salame $55 million.[3] Salame’s girlfriend Michelle Bond received $400,000 in consulting fees from FTX Digital Markets.[10] Salame claimed to have learned about the impending collapse of FTX in the week before it filed for bankruptcy and to have vomited upon hearing the news.[11] In April 2023 the FBI raided Salame’s
Potomac, Maryland home.[12]
In September 2023, he pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws and operating an illegal money-transmitting business. He agreed to forfeit two properties in Lenox, MA along with a
Porsche automobile, and to pay a $6 million fine and more than $5 million in restitution to FTX.[13][7] Despite prosecutors recommending a term of 5-7 years, it was announced May 2024 that Salame was sentenced to serve 7.5 years in federal prison.[14]
^Goldstein, Matthew; Yaffe-Bellany, David (April 27, 2023).
"F.B.I. Searches Home of Top FTX Executive". The New York Times.
Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via NYTimes.com.