CZ seeks pardon from Trump.
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the founder and former CEO of Binance, has submitted a pardon application to U.S. President Donald Trump, as revealed during a Rug Radio podcast on May 6, 2025. On May 8, 2025, this move comes seven months after CZ completed a four-month prison sentence for violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws, signaling a potential new chapter for the Binance founder.
CZ lawyers requested the pardon two weeks before the podcast, following March 2025 news from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. The news relayed that CZ sought to exonerate himself due to speculation surrounding the Trump family takeover of Binance.US stocks. CZ dismissed the claims at first, claiming there was misinformation, but subsequently revealed that pressure from the media caused him to request the pardon. President Trump’s recent pardon of BitMEX co-founders, including Arthur Hayes, further made the speculation believable.
CZ’s legal battle stemmed from a November 2023 guilty plea to the Bank Secrecy Act violation for lacking an adequate anti-money laundering program at Binance. CZ resigned as CEO, was paid $50 million, and Binance paid $4.3 billion. CZ himself was sentenced in April 2024 and released in September 2024. CZ subsequently caused the meme coin mania on the BNB Chain, triggering community activity due to token shilling and citing personal information, such as the name of his dog, Broccoli.
Besides, CZ has taken an advisory strategic role for the Crypto Pakistan Council with the purpose of advancing Web3 and crypto finance in Pakistan. A Trump pardon would not undo CZ’s conviction of money laundering but may lift bans, which could enable him to advise or operate Binance.US, the US-focused subsidiary of Binance.
Nonetheless, CZ downplayed returning as Binance CEO, saying during Binance Blockchain Week 2024 that the current team is holding up well without him. The pardon application shows that he would like to rehabilitate himself in the US while, in the meantime, his influence still dictates global crypto trends, particularly in the field of meme coins.
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