Trump pardons Binance founder: Changpeng Zhao accused of money laundering; crypto billionaire reacts
US President Donald Trump on Thursday pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty of enabling money laundering while leading the cryptocurrency exchange.“President Trump exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden Administration in their war on cryptocurrency,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.“In their desire to punish the cryptocurrency industry, the Biden Administration pursued Mr Zhao despite no allegations of fraud or identifiable victims,” she added, as quoted by CNBC News.The pardon caps a monthslong effort by Zhao, a billionaire commonly known as CZ in the crypto world and one of the biggest names in the industry. He and Binance have been key supporters of some of the Trump family’s crypto enterprises. Zhao expressed his gratitude on social media Thursday, saying, “Deeply grateful for today’s pardon and to President Trump for upholding America’s commitment to fairness, innovation, and justice.” Zhao had pleaded guilty in November 2023 in Seattle federal court and agreed to step down as Binance CEO as part of a $4.3 billion settlement by the company with the Department of Justice.He was charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act for failing to “implement an effective anti-money-laundering program and for willfully violating US economic sanctions ‘in a deliberate and calculated effort to profit from the US market without implementing controls required by US law,’” the DOJ said. Binance had also been charged with conducting an unlicensed money-transmitting business, violating the International Emergency Powers Act, and conspiracy.Zhao was sentenced in April 2024 to just four months in jail, although federal prosecutors had requested a three-year sentence. “The Biden Administration sought to imprison Mr Zhao for three years, a sentence so outside Sentencing Guidelines that even the Judge said he had never heard of this in his 30-year career. These actions by the Biden Administration severely damaged the United States’ reputation as a global leader in technology and innovation. The Biden Administration’s war on crypto is over,” said Leavitt.The pardon comes two months after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump family’s own crypto venture, which has generated about $4.5 billion since the 2024 election, was aided by “a partnership with an under-the-radar trading platform quietly administered by Binance.”
