Former FTX exec Ryan Salame’s romantic partner indicted on campaign finance crimes
Michelle Bond, CEO of Digital Futures.
CNBC
Convicted former FTX executive Ryan Salame‘s domestic partner Michelle Bond has been indicted in New York on federal charges accusing her of conspiring to raise unlawful campaign contributions from FTX for her unsuccessful run for Congress in 2022, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams claims that Bond, 45, illegally funded her campaign with a “sham” $400,000 upfront payment from FTX, followed by a $100,000 annual payment from that now-bankrupt crypto exchange.
Bond, who lives in Potomac, Maryland, was running for a House seat in New York’s first congressional district, which includes eastern Long Island.
The four-count indictment was unsealed a day after Salame, the father of Bond’s eight-month-old child, asked a New York federal judge to void his guilty plea to campaign finance and money-transmitting crimes.
Salame’s lawyers claim prosecutors reneged on an agreement to drop their campaign finance probe of Bond as an incentive to get him to plead guilty.
Bond was an attorney based in or near Washington who, “at all times relevant to the indictment,” worked as the CEO of a digital assets trade group, the indictment says. In June, Bond also announced the launch of Digital Future, a think tank “dedicated to promoting the development of the next generation of the financial services industry,” according to a press release.
She was released on a $1 million personal recognizance bond co-signed by another individual and was seen leaving the courthouse in lower Manhattan hand-in-hand with Salame earlier Thursday afternoon.
Ryan Salame, the former co-chief executive of FTX Digital Markets, exits the Federal Court after he pleaded guilty to two charges including conspiring to make unlawful U.S. political contributions, in New York City, Sept. 7, 2023.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Salame and Bond met in June 2021, and were in a relationship by early the following year, according to the indictment.
The indictment alleges that Salame, identified only as CC-1, conspired with Bond to commit the crimes, saying that Salame arranged the payment from FTX to Bond. She then allegedly used “almost entirely” all of that money “to fund her campaign illegally,” the indictment says.
Salame between June and August 2022 allegedly wired hundreds of thousands of dollars to Bond’s personal bank account, which she then also put toward illegally funding her campaign, according to the indictment.
Salame was not a cooperating witness in last year’s criminal trial of his former boss at FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced in March to 25 years in prison for fraud and conspiracy.
The charges against Salame stemmed from his involvement in a multimillion-dollar campaign finance scheme during his tenure at FTX.
Salame is due to begin serving a 7-and-a-half-year prison sentence on Oct. 13. Salame also was ordered to pay more than $6 million in forfeiture and more than $5 million in restitution.
Williams, the U.S. Attorney, separately wrote to the judge in his criminal case on Wednesday to ask that the court “reject Ryan Salame’s shameless and self-serving attempt to renege on his guilty plea in the aftermath of his sentencing.”
Judge Lewis Kaplan set a hearing for Sept. 12 to hear arguments from both sides on whether to toss out the deal Salame struck with the prosecutors.
— CNBC’s Dan Mangan contributed to this report.
Chinese carmaker XPeng is getting perilously close to bringing its AeroHT consumer eVTOL concept to market, thanks to a $250 million Series B round that’s set to accelerate the company’s modular “flying car” production plans.
XPeng subsidiary AeroHT had its first successful proof of concept test flight ahead of the brand’s annual 1024 back in 2023, where the company unveiled a pair of flying car designs. The X3 is an actual flying “car” that can drive, park, and take off on its own, and a second, modular eVTOL that folds up into the back of an electric van called the Land Aircraft Carrier.
That vehicle pair, shown at CES in January, was set to begin production this year, with the eVTOL component set to begin production in 2026 – and that’s looking a lot more likely thanks to the new infusion of capital!
AeroHT at CES 2025
Xpeng Aeroht raised $150 million in Series B1 funding last August, before launching its Series B2 funding round. The most recent announcement that the company has secured an additional $100 million in its Series B2 funding round brings the total amount raised to more than $750 million, with a $1B pre-revenue valuation.
CNEVPost reports that company aims to establish itself as a commercial pioneer in urban air mobility ahead of a potential IPO – and may get there sooner than later, thanks to several hundred pre-orders at the $280,000 projected price.
Electrek’s Take
Scooter Doll said it best, writing, “this footage (of the AeroHT test flight) is as scary and concerning as it is exciting and awe-inspiring.” Which is to say that these things are real, they seem like they’re getting built, and they seem like they’ll sell well enough to convince at least one or two remaining boomers that the flying car they’ve been promised their whole lives is – finally! – coming to market.
Here’s hoping.
SOURCE: Xpeng, via CNEVPost; gallery photos by the author.
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Flooring manufacturer Beauflor USA just turned on the biggest rooftop solar system by capacity in metro Atlanta — and it’s now powering part of its Georgia factory.
The new 1,040 kW system in Cartersville officially beats metro Atlanta’s previous rooftop solar record of 1,034 kW. The new array produces enough energy to power more than 100 homes. The system is expected to cover about 10% of Beauflor’s electricity needs and cut its carbon emissions by about 920 metric tons annually.
“This solar installation represents our commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices while making sound business decisions,” said Emile Coopman, continuous improvement manager at Beauflor. He added that the system is designed with room to grow: “This is the first step toward more renewable energy.”
The company partnered with Cherry Street Energy to install the nearly 2,000-panel system, which was completed in less than four months. Cherry Street invested $1.8 million into the project and is covering all construction and maintenance costs through a 30-year energy procurement agreement. Beauflor will buy solar power directly from Cherry Street, allowing it to avoid upfront capital costs while still lowering its energy bills.
“As Georgia’s manufacturers ramp up production amid rising costs for grid energy, sophisticated operators seek ways to quickly and sustainably address their energy needs,” said Cherry Street CEO Michael Chanin. “On-site solar with no capital expense delivers just that: reliable, affordable electricity.”
Chanin added that the system’s power output is especially impressive: “The previous record-holder for metro Atlanta’s largest rooftop solar required over 4,000 panels. We’re using less than 2,000 to reliably generate even more power.”
Read more: This is New Jersey’s largest high-rise residential rooftop solar array
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Jack Dorsey, co-founder and chief executive officer of Twitter Inc. and Square Inc., listens during the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami, Florida, on Friday, June 4, 2021.
Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Block shares jumped more than 10% in extended trading on Friday, as the fintech company gets set to join the S&P 500, replacing Hess.
It’s the second change to the benchmark this week, after S&P Global announced on Monday that ad-tech firm The Trade Desk would be added to the S&P 500. Trade Desk is taking the place of software maker Ansys, which was acquired by Synopsys in a deal that closed Thursday.
Hess’ departure comes just after Chevron completed its $54 billion purchase of the oil producer, prevailing against Exxon Mobil in a legal dispute over offshore oil assets in the South American nation of Guyana.
Block will officially join the S&P 500 before the opening of trading on July 23, according to a statement from S&P. Stocks often rally when they’re added to a major index, as fund managers need to rebalance their portfolios to reflect the changes.
Most alterations to the S&P 500 take place during the index’s quarterly rebalancing. However, in the case of the closing of an acquisition, a company can be removed from the index and replaced off schedule. Last week monitoring software company Datadog took Juniper Networks’ place in the S&P 500 as part of the index’s quarterly change.
Block’s addition brings further tech heft to an index that’s been steadily moving in that direction in recent years, reflecting the market cap gains of companies across the sector. Block, which gained popularity as Square due to the rapid growth of the company’s payment terminals, has expanded into crypto, lending and other financial services.
Founded by Jack Dorsey in 2009, Square changed its name to Block in 2021 to emphasize its focus on blockchain technologies.
Block shares are down 14% this year, underperforming the broader U.S. market. The Nasdaq is up more than 8%, while the S&P 500 has gained 7%. Still, with a market cap of about $45 billion, Block is valued well above the median company in the index.
In May, Block reported first-quarter results that missed Wall Street expectations on Thursday and issued a disappointing outlook, leading to a plunge in the stock price. Block’s forecast for the second quarter and full year reflected challenging economic conditions that followed sweeping tariff announcements by President Donald Trump.
“We recognize we are operating in a more dynamic macro environment, so we have reflected a more cautious stance on the macro outlook into our guidance for the rest of the year,” the company wrote in its quarterly report.
The company is scheduled to report second-quarter results after the close of regular trading on Aug. 7.
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