Changpeng Zhao (CZ)

Granted

Oct 21, 2025

Convicted of

Anti-money laundering violations

Sentence

4 mo

Reported amount

$2,000,000,000 (Binance investment in Trump family crypto venture)

Source

justice.gov ↗

Notability

Founder of Binance, world's largest crypto exchange; pleaded guilty to failing to maintain anti-money laundering program; fined $50M, served 4 months. Binance paid $4.3B in penalties.

Why / who lobbied

Binance built technology for Trump's World Liberty Financial stablecoin (USD1) and made $2B investment in Trump family crypto venture. SEC dropped lawsuit against Binance after it began listing USD1. Zhao had publicly asked Trump for a pardon. Trump claimed on 60 Minutes he 'doesn't know who he is.'

Full record

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