Ryan Salame, a former FTX executive, recently made the decision to withdraw his petition to dismiss the indictment against Michelle Bond just days before a crucial court hearing. This surprising move came in a letter dated Aug. 29, in which Salame’s legal team informed Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the Southern District of New York that the petition was being withdrawn “without prejudice.”
Salame’s petition, initially filed on Aug. 21, aimed to secure a writ of error coram nobis or, as an alternative, a writ of audita querela. The crux of Salame’s argument was that his guilty plea, which resulted in a 90-month prison sentence, was based on the false belief that prosecutors would not take further action against Bond, his girlfriend. However, the government quickly refuted Salame’s claims, labeling them as “demonstrably false” and asserting that the investigation into Bond’s actions was ongoing and separate from Salame’s charges.
Michelle Bond, a former congressional candidate, stands accused of conspiring with Salame to illegally finance her 2022 campaign. The indictment against Bond, unsealed on August 22, 2024, alleges that she collaborated with Salame to make unlawful contributions to her congressional bid. Despite Salame’s initial attempt to dismiss the indictment, with Bond’s case now progressing before Judge George B. Daniels, Salame opted to step aside, allowing Bond to address the matter in her own legal proceedings.
Salame’s withdrawal of his petition represents a strategic shift in his approach to the case. His legal team clarified that the decision did not reflect any change in Salame’s position regarding the facts of the case. Rather, they argued that it made more sense for the issues raised in the petition to be litigated within Bond’s case, where they would be directly pertinent. Moreover, Salame’s lawyers rebuked the government’s interpretation of the motives behind the petition, asserting that it was not driven by discontent with Salame’s sentence but by the looming indictment against Bond.
The withdrawal of Salame’s petition paves the way for Bond’s case to proceed without the potential complications that Salame’s petition could have introduced. By allowing Bond to address the allegations independently, Salame has chosen to take a step back from the legal battle, ensuring that the issues at hand are addressed in a manner consistent with the progression of Bond’s case.