Ryan Salame, once a high-flying executive at the ill-fated FTX crypto exchange, is facing his day of reckoning. His former friend and colleague, Sam Trabucco, co-CEO of Alameda Research, has come forward to vouch for Salame's character, painting him as a complex individual who deserves a lenient sentence.

Salame, however, has admitted guilt to some serious crimes. He was involved in a scheme to funnel millions of dollars in illegal political donations and operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. Prosecutors paint a picture of Salame as a willing participant in a massive fraud orchestrated by FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who is already serving a hefty 25-year prison sentence.

Salame's defense claims he was unaware of the full extent of the FTX scandal and blames his involvement on a personal struggle with substance abuse. They portray him as a reformed character, now raising a child and pursuing a better path that includes law school and a political non-profit.

Will the judge be swayed by Trabucco's character reference and Salame's claims of remorse? Or will he face the full force of the law for his role in the FTX debacle? The answer will come on May 28th at Manhattan federal court, where Salame could be looking at a decade behind bars.