U.S. President Donald Trump Pardons Binance Founder CZ
CoinDesk
U.S. President Donald Trump has pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao after he served four months in prison.Summary
U.S. President Donald Trump granted a pardon to Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, months after Zhao confirmed he had requested one. Zhao had previously served four months in prison in 2024 after pleading guilty in November 2023 to violating the Bank Secrecy Act. As part of his plea deal, he stepped down from Binance and agreed to a $50 million fine, while Binance itself paid a record $4.3 billion fine and agreed to a court-appointed monitor. Prosecutors alleged Binance knowingly violated the Bank Secrecy Act by serving users in sanctioned countries. The pardon may allow Zhao to conduct more business operations in the U.S., similar to how BitMEX benefited from a pardon earlier this year.
(Source：CoinDesk)