Binance founder’s sentencing hearing

Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to money laundering charges.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao will find out today how much jail time he’ll serve for breaking US money laundering laws — if he serves any at all. Prosecutors have requested three years of prison time, double the sentencing guideline of 18 months, because the “scope and ramifications of Zhao’s misconduct were massive,” they wrote in their sentencing memo.

Zhao’s lawyers, in their own sentencing memo, said that Zhao deserved no jail time, as “no defendant in a remotely similar BSA [Bank Secrecy Act] case has ever been sentenced to incarceration.”

Zhao pleaded guilty and stepped down from Binance as part of a settlement with the US Department of Justice in November. Additionally, Binance agreed to pay $4.3 billion in fines. As part of the agreement, Zhao has waived the right to appeal any sentence up to 18 months in prison. He also agreed to pay a fine of $50 million, a drop in the bucket compared to his estimated $33 billion fortune.

According to the US government, Binance knowingly evaded anti-money laundering regulations. As a result, Iranian, Cuban, and Syrian customers were able to transact in violation of US sanctions. Settlements with the CFTC and SEC were announced at the same time as Zhao’s guilty plea.

I’m here in Seattle for the sentencing.