Former FTX Executive from Sam Bankman-Fried's 'Inner Circle' Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Prison for Illegal Campaign Contributions

Ryan Salame, a former high-ranking executive at collapsed crypto exchange FTX, was sentenced to 7 and a half years in prison for illegally making campaign contributions and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Salame, 30, was part of the "inner circle" at FTX and co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets for most of the company's existence. While not a major figure in the prosecution against Bankman-Fried, Salame cooperated with prosecutors and provided documents that aided in cross-examining Bankman-Fried. Salame assisted Bankman-Fried in concealing financial discrepancies in FTX's accounts and in making unlawful political donations to affect cryptocurrency regulations, leading to the company's failure.