FTX CEO Ryan Salame's Maryland Home Raided by FBI, Reasons Remain Unknown

FBI Conducts Mysterious Search on Home of Former FTX Executive Ryan Salame

On April 27, 2023, a report from the New York Times revealed that Ryan Salame, the former co-chief of FTX Digital Markets, had his $4 million house in Potomac, Maryland searched on Thursday morning.

Salame, who was a key figure at FTX, informed regulators in the Bahamas that the company was misusing customer funds just days before its collapse, according to court documents. The raid was disclosed by two individuals with knowledge of the matter, as noted by reporters Matthew Goldstein and David Yaffe-Bellany of the Times.

The reason for Thursday’s search remains unknown leaving the motive behind the search a matter of speculation. Ryan Salame, who donated more than $22 million to Republican campaigns during the 2022 U.S. election cycle, was a prominent political donor.

Additionally, Salame played a part in FTX Ventures Ltd., a subsidiary of FTX, which invested $25 million in 80 Acres Farms, an Ohio-based vertical farming company. While it’s unclear what the investment’s objective was, Salame was involved in the process.

According to The Times’ report, Salame’s legal representative declined to provide a statement in response to the request, and the FBI also refused to comment on the issue. At 7 a.m. Eastern Time, the search was conducted, and sources forwarded snapshots of FBI agents stationed outside Salame’s residence in Maryland during the operation.

Salame has not faced any criminal charges or been formally accused of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, is currently awaiting trial for multiple criminal counts. Three executives from FTX and its affiliate trading company, Alameda Research, have pleaded guilty to charges related to their activities.