FTX convict Ryan Salame has posted on X every day since the conviction. Lawyers say it's 'unusual' – DL News

Ryan Salame, who was one of the big bosses of FTX before its implosion, posts messages there.

The former co-CEO of the Bahamian branch of the bankrupt crypto exchange has posted on X every day since a federal judge sentenced him in late May to seven and a half years in prison.

“Are we at the point in the crypto cycle where lenders let you borrow billions for a ham sandwich or not yet? he wrote on Sunday.

Four lawyers said DL News that the former FTX executive's decision to take to social media since his conviction is “unusual.” However, the legal risks associated with Salame's public comments are less than those he would have faced if he had spoken to X before his conviction, they added.

Salame pleaded guilty in September 2023 to campaign finance violations and unlicensed operation of a money transmitting business. He is one of four top lieutenants of Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder and former CEO of FTX, to plead guilty following FTX's collapse in November 2022.

Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison in late March. Caroline Ellison, Nishad Singh and Gary Wang are all awaiting sentencing.

Neither Salamé nor his lawyers immediately responded to a request for comment from DL News.

“Not in the interest of the accused”

Salame's recent appearance on

If the government found anything Salamé said about possibly at trial.

“I don’t know why they would want to do that,” Silva said. DL News.

However, Will Thomas, a law professor at the University of Michigan, said speaking publicly after a conviction is not without potential consequences.

“An annoyed judge might bring a defendant back into court to explain how his post-plea statements square with his representations in court, which is…uncomfortable,” Thomas wrote in an email to DL News. “It is even possible that a judge will overturn a guilty plea, which is ultimately not in the best interests of the defendants.”

Salame avoided talking about his conviction on X, but he posted twice about his case. In both cases, he implicitly relied on the advice of a lawyer and placed the blame on former lawyers.

“It's a shame that if I had sold my crypto stack like I was going to do instead of listening to multiple lawyers and borrowing from Alameda against it, I probably wouldn't go to jail for seven and a half years “, he wrote. , referring to Alameda Research, a crypto trading company founded by Bankman-Fried

“What use can this be?

Whatever the risks, all lawyers DL News said Salame's public comments are not the norm for most criminal defendants.

“I would always advise my clients not to do that,” said Elisha Kobre, an attorney at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings and a former DOJ prosecutor.

Silva agreed. “What good can come of this?” he said, later adding, “Maybe he's trying to get someone to pay him for his story.” »

In an article published Monday on $ profits once it's done. hits the print.