US District Judge Lewis Kaplan scheduled the hearing after Ryan Salame, a former executive of Alameda Research and FTX Digital Markets, tried to withdraw his guilty plea.
Salame said prosecutors broke a promise to him by later indicting his romantic partner, Michelle Bond — a claim that prosecutors vigorously disputed.
Instead, Kaplan grilled Salame under oath for over 30 minutes in his Manhattan courtroom Thursday morning, accusing him of misrepresenting the plea negotiations.
That left Kaplan in a bind: Either Salame lied in his plea hearing, throwing the plea into doubt.
Bond would not be pursued if I plead guilty," Salame said.
Persons:
—, who's, Lewis Kaplan, Ryan Salame, Salame, Michelle Bond, Kaplan, Sam Bankman, Salame didn't, Bond, FTX, Mary Altaffer, wasn't, Danielle Sassoon, Christopher Bartolomucci, he'll, Salame's
Organizations:
Service, Alameda Research, FTX, Markets, Business, Prosecutors, AP, US, Office, Southern, of
Locations:
Manhattan, Alameda, of New York