FBI Searches Home of Former FTX Exec Ryan Salame
The raid was conducted early in the morning, according to the New York Times
Dzelat/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks
The FBI searched the Potomac, Maryland home of former FTX executive Ryan Salame at around 7 am on Thursday, the New York Times reported.
Information on what the FBI was attempting to uncover at Salame’s $4 million home is not currently available.
Blockworks reached out to Salame’s lawyer, Jason Linder, but did not receive an immediate response.
Salame was co-chief executive of FTX Digital Markets, which principally operated in the Bahamas before the crypto exchange went bankrupt in November 2022. He also worked at Alameda Research and became a member of Sam Bankman-Fried’s inner circle along with Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison.
The Times also reported that Salame’s $24 million in political contributions in the 2022 midterm elections are being scrutinized by federal authorities. And unlike SBF’s $40 million in donations to mostly Democrats, Salame was a major contributor to Republican politicians and causes. The majority of the $90 million FTX employees donated to politicians were inappropriately taken from customer funds, the Times reported.
This most recent escalation by the FBI seemingly demonstrates that authorities are not done investigating the still-unraveling FTX and the individuals who led the exchange to its demise.
Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:
- Blockworks Daily: The newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand crypto and the markets, by Byron Gilliam.
- Empire: Start your morning with the top news and analysis to inform your day in crypto.
- Forward Guidance: Reporting and analysis on the growing intersection of crypto and macroeconomics, policy and finance.
- 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox. Market highlights, data, degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance and more.
- Lightspeed: Built for Solana investors, developers and community members. The latest from one of crypto’s hottest networks.
- The Drop: For crypto collectors and traders, covering apps, games, memes and more.
- Supply Shock: Tracking Bitcoin’s rise from internet plaything worth less than a penny to global phenomenon disrupting money as we know it.
