Former FTX Executive Ryan Salame Seeks Delay in Prison Sentence Due to Medical Complications

• Former FTX co-CEO Ryan Salame seeks a 45-day delay in his prison sentence due to medical treatment after a dog bite.
• BitFlyer Holdings acquired FTX Japan, which is planning to launch crypto-based ETFs and provide institutional crypto custody solutions.
• Salame, injured by a dog bite, implies political bias in medical care while preparing for Bitcoin 2024 conference interviews.

Former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame has requested a 45-day delay before his prison reporting date due to medical complications. A dog biting his face caused these complications.

In a July 26 filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Salame’s legal team requested his self-surrender date to serve a 7.5-year sentence be moved from Aug. 29 to Oct. 13.

The request cites Salame’s urgent and essential medical care and surgery. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to run an unauthorized money-transmitting enterprise and commit fraudulent campaign finance activities.

Salame was attacked by a German Shepherd on June 29 while he was at a friend’s house. A doctor’s visit on July 3 and treatment recommendations on July 24 were included in the request, some of which were censored.

Salame posted on X the day of the attack, implying that a surgeon who didn’t hold his political views would be more likely to harm him intentionally while treating the bite wound. Despite his injuries, he mentioned monitoring the Bitcoin 2024 conference and preparing for future big interviews.

Salame’s Connection to Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX Associates

Salame was one of the first associates of FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried to receive a prison sentence. He was also the only person mentioned in the indictment who refrained from testifying at Bankman-trial Fried’s. Bankman-Fried was found guilty of seven felonies and sentenced to 25 years in prison in March. He’s sent in an appeal notice.

Before this, FTX co-founder Gary Wang and engineering director Nishad Singh both entered guilty pleas to the charges; their sentencing is scheduled for October and November. Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, does not have a scheduled sentencing hearing as of publication.

BitFlyer Holdings Acquires FTX Japan

BitFlyer Holdings plans to launch potential cryptocurrency-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) following its acquisition of FTX Japan. BitFlyer acquired all of FTX Japan’s outstanding shares and became the sole proprietor of the business.

BitFlyer Holdings CEO Yuzo Kano stated in an X post on July 26 that the startup company plans to provide institutional investors with cryptocurrency custody options. Through its custody business, the company wants to become known as a public utility that supports the industry as a whole.

When the FTX exchange, which used to be the second biggest cryptocurrency exchange in the world by trading volume, collapsed in November 2022, at least $8.9 billion in customers’ money were destroyed.