Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the founder and former CEO of Binance—the largest cryptocurrency exchange globally—is facing a potential three-year prison sentence. This follows his guilty plea to charges related to money laundering infractions.
The formal request for Zhao’s imprisonment was submitted by U.S. prosecutors on a Tuesday evening to a federal court in Seattle. The prosecution argues that a sentence doubling the standard 18-month maximum as stipulated by federal guidelines is justified given the severity of Zhao’s deliberate legal breaches. They emphasized the importance of adherence to the law, stating,
“the right choice, every time, is to comply with the law.”
Conversely, Zhao’s defense has proposed probation, emphasizing his first-time offender status and cooperative attitude. The decision now rests with U.S. District Judge Richard Jones, who is slated to deliver Zhao’s sentence on April 30.
CZ’s Tenure and Binance’s Legal Woes
Zhao, 47, who once held the title of the most influential individual in the cryptocurrency sector, resigned from his position at Binance last November. His resignation coincided with the company’s admission of circumventing anti-money laundering norms stipulated by the Bank Secrecy Act. Consequently, Binance consented to a hefty $4.32 billion criminal penalty.
The prosecution criticized Binance for adopting a laissez-faire operational model that ostensibly catered to criminal elements, failing to report over 100,000 dubious transactions linked to designated terrorist organizations such as Hamas, al Qaeda, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Further allegations against Zhao’s platform included facilitating transactions related to child sexual abuse materials and receiving substantial sums from ransomware attacks. The prosecutors did not mince words, asserting,
“He made a business decision that violating U.S. law was the best way to attract users, build his company, and line his pockets,”
Defense’s Plea for Leniency
In response, Zhao’s legal team highlighted his unyielding acknowledgment of the allegations, his substantial $50 million criminal fine payment, and the absence of precedents for imprisoning defendants in similar scenarios. They also pointed out Zhao’s efforts to position Binance as a compliance frontrunner in the industry following the initial mishaps that led to the legal action.
Since the onset of the case, Zhao has been out on a $175 million bond and has pledged not to contest any sentence that falls within the federal guidelines. The cumulative penalties for Binance included a $1.81 billion criminal fine and $2.51 billion in restitution, with an additional $50 million paid to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission as stated by Zhao’s attorneys.
This case, officially recorded as U.S. v. Zhao, continues to unfold in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, under case number 23-cr-00179.
