US President Donald Trump has pardoned convicted Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, following months of lobbying and appeals from the company and its former CEO. This development was reported by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, citing individuals familiar with the matter.
President Trump reportedly signed the pardon on Wednesday. However, no official details have yet been published on the White House website or in the Federal Register, where presidential pardons are typically announced.
Zhao had pleaded guilty in November 2023 to one count of failing to implement an adequate Anti-Money Laundering (AML) program at Binance, which constituted a violation of the Bank Secrecy Act.
In April 2024, he received a sentence of four months in a US prison. He was subsequently released from custody in September.
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.