NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former head of cryptocurrency exchange FTX Ryan Salame is being investigated by federal prosecutors for possible violations of campaign finance law, a The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors are looking into the money Salame gave to his girlfriend, Michelle Bond, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for a congressional seat in New York last year, as well as the loans Bond made consented to his campaign, reported the Journal.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan declined to comment.
Neither Salame nor Bond have been charged with wrongdoing. Their lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Journal said the investigation is separate from the criminal case against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who pleaded not guilty to stealing billions in client funds before the now-exchange collapsed. bankrupt last year. He is due to stand trial on October 2.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)