- The founder of Binance faces a 36-month prison sentence for highlighting illegal activities in the crypto space.
- Legal actions against Binance and previous FTX raise questions about cryptocurrency adoption.
Amid ongoing legal battles, Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance [BNB]is at a critical moment.
Scheduled for sentencing April 30 in a Seattle courtroom, Zhao faces a pivotal moment as U.S. prosecutors seek a 36-month prison sentence.
What’s the problem?
The allegations revolve around his alleged failure to prevent large-scale money laundering on the Binance platform, marking an important development in the discussion surrounding him.
The Ministry of Justice reports this in a conviction memorandum The prosecutor said last week:
“Zhao’s deliberate violation of U.S. law was not an accident or an oversight.”
They added:
“He made a business decision that breaking US law was the best way to attract users, build his business and line his pockets.”
This highlighted Zhao’s deliberate failure to establish an effective anti-money laundering program mandated by the Bank Secrecy Act.
In fact, the decision to impose a three-year prison sentence, exceeding the recommended eighteen months, underlines the seriousness of Zhao’s alleged offenses and the need for strict enforcement of the law.
Grounds for accusations
Zhao allegedly facilitated Binance in processing transactions related to illegal activities, including transactions involving Americans and sanctioned individuals.
Prosecutors attribute unreported suspicious transactions and flawed controls to Zhao’s leadership. They have also underlined the involvement of some designated terrorist groups such as Hamas and Al-Qaeda.
In response to the allegations, Zhao resigned as CEO of Binance in November last year, and recently admitted to violating the Bank Secrecy Act.
In a letter To the supervising judge, he expressed remorse for failing to implement adequate compliance controls at Binance, acknowledging that there was “no excuse” for his actions.
“I apologize for my poor decisions and accept full responsibility for my actions. In retrospect, I should have focused on implementing compliance changes at Binance from the start, and I didn’t. There is no excuse for my failure to implement the necessary compliance controls at Binance.”
Interestingly, the founder of Binance had once told his team that it is “better to ask forgiveness than permission” when it comes to legal compliance.
The statement adds to the intrigue as observers await Zhao’s response, while prosecutors remain firm in their position.
Other cases of money laundering
Despite Binance’s recent challenges, the performance of its BNB token and other L1s against BTC remained strong, as noted by a crypto researcher, Emperor Osmo,
Source: Emperor Osmo/Twitter
Well, Binance is not the first to face such accusations. Recently, Nigeria made headlines by attempting to prosecute Binance and two of its executives on charges of money laundering and tax evasion.
Furthermore, FTX also faced demise in 2022, leading to Bankman-Fried’s conviction for fraud and a 25-year prison sentence.
This underlines the regulatory hurdles that major players in crypto face.