Former co-CEO of FTX announced ‘new role’ as inmate in federal prison on LinkedIn

There are a few too many recommendations for this.

Former FTX director Ryan Salame shared a tongue-in-cheek update on LinkedIn ahead of his seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence, which began Friday.

“I am happy to share that I am starting a new position as an inmate at FCI Cumberland,” the 31-year-old wrote on the platform on Wednesday, two days before his prison sentence began.

He also added ‘cleaning and chopping’ as a skill in his new position.

Salame, the former co-CEO of FTX’s Bahamian subsidiary and inner circle of founder Sam Bankman-Fried, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison in May.

He will serve his sentence at FCI Cumberland, a medium-security federal prison in Maryland.

Salame’s post received thousands of comments, with the ex-director both praised and ridiculed for his transparent post.

‘Congratulations on the trip. You’ve worked hard to get here and you’ve earned your time. Enjoy as you plot your next path,” one LinkedIn member wrote sarcastically.

“Your post certainly stirred up the typical LinkedIn scroll,” one user wrote. ‘Although your situation is far from traditional, it is refreshing to see someone approaching even life’s most challenging chapters with a touch of humor and honesty.

‘A dose of reality can be a breath of fresh air in a sea of ​​corporate clichés. That said, I hope that this next chapter provides you with much-needed reflection and growth, and that when your time at FCI Cumberland ends, you find a path forward that aligns with both personal and professional redemption. I wish you strength for the road ahead,” the gushing comment read.

“Best post I’ve seen on LinkedIn, Ryan – not because of the task at hand, but because of the awareness that you’re okay with it/tired of this nonsense. Good luck in the years to come,” another added.

‘Congratulations! A job with mandatory team building, free uniforms and unlimited time for personal development,” someone else chimed in.

Salame pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws and operating an illegal money transmission business. He was sentenced to prison on fraud and campaign finance charges related to the 2022 collapse of the Bankman-Fried crypto exchange.

He also helped expose Bankman-Fried of stealing more than $8 billion in customer funds, which were meant to be stored in the cryptocurrency exchange.

Salame, the former co-CEO of FTX’s Bahamian subsidiary and an inner circle of company founder Sam Bankman-Fried, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison in May.

He will serve his sentence at FCI Cumberland, a medium-security federal prison in Maryland

Salame’s post received thousands of comments, many praising and ridiculing the ex-director for his transparent post

Sam Bankman-Fried (pictured) was sentenced to 25 years in prison

In an interview with the new york times, Salame also said he was not guilty of the crimes he was accused of. He claimed that FTX lawyers approved these donations and that he entered his guilty plea based on bad legal advice.

In November 2022, Salame tipped off authorities that FTX client funds were being used to pay off debts at Alameda Research, the hedge fund founded by Bankman-Fried’s then-girlfriend Caroline Ellison.

The social media-loving executive often took to social media to rant about his lawyers, claiming his former FTX employees misnarrated events and to share support for former President Donald Trump after speaking at a Bitcoin conference had spoken in Nashville.

Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud on hundreds of thousands of customers, which was exposed in the collapse of FTX, once one of the world’s most popular digital currency exchange platforms.

Caroline Ellison, Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend, was sentenced to two years for her role in the $8 billion crypto fraud and was often seen in tears during Tuesday’s hearing.