Almost three years post-FTX’s collapse, legal disputes involving its executives and associates continue. This week, Michelle Bond, wife of former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame, is set to return to court for an evidentiary hearing in her criminal case.
In a recent filing to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), Bond’s legal team requested that a federal judge permit her to testify, despite prosecutors’ objections.
Prosecutors contended on Friday that Bond likely wouldn’t provide relevant testimony regarding Salame’s plea agreement concerning campaign finance fraud allegations. He is currently incarcerated for offenses linked to the company’s downfall.
Salame’s plea agreement is central to Bond’s case regarding alleged campaign finance violations. Prosecutors asserted that Salame directed $400,000 in FTX-related funds to her campaign.
Bond was indicted in August 2024 on charges of conspiracy to facilitate unlawful campaign contributions, causing and accepting excessive contributions, and causing and receiving unlawful corporate and conduit contributions. She entered a plea of not guilty to all accusations.
“The government cannot preemptively prevent Ms. Bond from testifying, as her testimony is neither redundant nor irrelevant,” her attorneys stated. “The state of mind of Ms. Bond and her husband regarding the plea agreement is directly pertinent to the issues at hand […]”
As one of five defendants charged in the indictment against former FTX and Alameda Research executives, Salame pleaded guilty to conspiracy for making unlawful political contributions and defrauding the Federal Election Commission, as well as to conspiracy to run an unlicensed money transmitting business.
He received a sentence of seven-and-a-half years in prison, which he began serving in October 2024.
Following Salame’s guilty plea, his legal representation sought to vacate his agreement with US prosecutors, asserting it was contingent on not pursuing charges against Bond. He later withdrew that complaint, stating that Bond would address the matter in her case.
Related: Judge questions if ex-FTX exec perjured himself in guilty plea
Returning to court after months
The forthcoming Thursday evidentiary hearing will be Bond’s first court appearance in months, following extensive filings concerning Salame’s agreement with the government.
In addition to the possibility of Bond testifying, her attorneys have requested that former Assistant US Attorney Danielle Sassoon take the stand. Sassoon was the lead prosecutor in the government’s case against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and four other executives, including Salame.
Although Sassoon resigned in February after being instructed by the Justice Department to cease a case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Bond’s lawyers have asked her to testify regarding “any promises or inducements made to Mr. Salame to plead guilty.”
The US Attorneys have not opposed this motion but have requested “documentary evidence” or testimony regarding the plea deal.
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