## Sam Trabucco Makes First Appearance After 3 Years of Silence, Surprises Support for Ryan Salame in Court

After nearly three years out of the public eye, Sam Trabucco—the name once prominent within the inner circle of the collapsed crypto empire—suddenly reemerges with a noteworthy move: sending a letter to the court supporting former colleague Ryan Salame.

### Words from the "dedicated" letter

In court documents released on Wednesday, Trabucco describes Salame as "the funniest, most enthusiastic, most supportive friend" he has ever known. This is not just a simple compliment—this is the first time Trabucco has spoken out about anything since the FTX exchange collapsed in November 2022. His words immediately attracted media attention, especially Bloomberg.

### Who really is Sam Trabucco?

Before deciding to step back from the public spotlight in August 2022—just three months before the entire system collapsed—Trabucco was co-CEO of Alameda Research, a venture capital fund founded by Sam Bankman-Fried. The relationship between the two dates back to their days studying at the mathematics camp at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). According to disclosures, Trabucco significantly influenced Alameda’s trading decisions through a strategic approach borrowed from poker.

When leaving Alameda, Trabucco received approximately $25 million in transfer funds. Additionally, the company spent $2.5 million to buy a 52-foot yacht for him, named "Soak My Deck."

### Differences in legal actions

Unlike Caroline Ellison (another Alameda co-CEO), Gary Wang (FTX CEO), or Nishad Singh, Trabucco never appeared in the trial of Bankman-Fried or provided public testimony. Even more surprisingly, he has never faced any public allegations of misconduct.

In contrast, Ryan Salame—who oversaw FTX’s digital assets division in the Bahamas—pleaded guilty to operating unlicensed money transfer businesses and participating in financial fraud related to campaign contributions. He is currently awaiting sentencing, while Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison in March.

### What does this appearance mean?

Trabucco’s letter signals that the shadowy figures behind the FTX scandal are still present. His timing in publicly supporting Salame could be seen as a gesture of camaraderie or a legal strategy to support his former colleague in court—this remains a topic of debate among experts.

Notably, many other figures have also sent letters of support for Salame, including Georgetown finance professors, athletes, family members, neighbors, former FTX employees, and residents of the Bahamas.

### FTT: The remaining value of a legacy

The native FTX Token (FTT) is currently trading at $0.51, down 3.91% in the past 24 hours. This figure vividly demonstrates how these events continue to influence market sentiment, even though the platform has been inactive for over two years.

Sam Trabucco’s reemergence, even if only through a letter, has reopened questions about responsibility, friendship, and the limits of silence in the largest cryptocurrency scandal in history.