Michelle Bond Charged with FTX Campaign Fraud
- Failed NY congressional candidate Michelle Bond allegedly involved in FTX campaign finance fraud.
- Bond accused of misusing $388K in funds from FTX for her Republican campaign.
- Prosecutors claim Bond received a 'sham' consulting position from her romantic partner at FTX.
Michelle Bond, a former congressional candidate from Long Island, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly funneling $400,000 from the now-defunct crypto exchange FTX into her campaign. Prosecutors claim that Bond, 45, received a no-show consulting position at FTX through her partner, Ryan Salame, a senior executive at the firm. Of the funds, $388,075 was reportedly funneled into her political campaign for the 2022 Republican primary in New York's 1st District, violating federal laws against corporate contributions and exceeding individual donation limits. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has accused Bond of misrepresenting the source of her income on a congressional financial disclosure form, labeling it as “consulting income.” However, court documents suggest she later acknowledged that the funds were intended for her campaign. FBI Acting Assistant Director Christie M. Curtis criticized Bond's actions, stating that such unlawful transactions undermine the integrity of the legislative system. While court documents do not explicitly name Salame or FTX, Salame has identified Bond as his domestic partner in a separate filing related to his own campaign finance fraud case. He is currently serving a 7.5-year prison sentence and claims prosecutors suggested they would cease investigating Bond if he accepted a plea deal. Prosecutors have dismissed Salame's claims as unfounded and self-serving. Bond is facing a potential five-year prison sentence and was scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court for her initial hearing on Thursday. Her attorney's information has not yet been disclosed.