Pontem

The latest major enforcement action in the US against cryptoOn Monday, Binance CEO <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/technology/binance-changpeng-zhao-pleads-guilty.html?searchResultPosition&#61;1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Changpeng Zhao (CZ) pleaded guilty to money laundering violations</a> and agreed to pay a $50 million fine. Binance itself agreed to a massive <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/binance-and-ceo-plead-guilty-to-federal-charges-in-4-billion-resolution" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$4.3 billion fine to settle related cases with the Justice Department, the Treasury Department, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission</a> (CFTC).<img src="https://academy-public.coinmarketcap.com/optimized-uploads/a3ae0786020f4df59681429a3a62adf7.jpeg" />Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ)CZ violated the Bank Secrecy Act, which requires US financial institutions to prevent money laundering. As a result, Binance enabled and profited from malicious transactions involving <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/21/investing/binance-changpeng-zhao-treasury/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">terrorist groups like ISIS and al Qaeda</a> and US-sanctioned countries, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/binance-and-ceo-plead-guilty-to-federal-charges-in-4-billion-resolution" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">including Iran, Cuba, Syria, and Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.</a>The fine against Binance is among the largest ever imposed in the United States. CZ will <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zhao-changpeng-binance-billionaire-crypto-mcdonalds-fast-food-wealth-lifestyle-2022-10#zhao-is-pleading-guilty-to-anti-money-laundering-charges-and-will-step-down-from-his-role-as-ceo-of-binance-10" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">step down from his role at Binance and faces up to 18 months in prison.</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/21/investing/binance-changpeng-zhao-treasury/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Both parties will pay additional sums in civil penalties and to forfeit ill-gotten gains</a>.Binance additionally pleaded guilty to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/binance-and-ceo-plead-guilty-to-federal-charges-in-4-billion-resolution" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">failing to register as a money transmitting business and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)</a>. Furthermore, they were found to be doing business with American customers through their Binance.com platform, instead of Binance.us, which was meant to be a separate enterprise with strict anti-money laundering compliance.Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said, “<a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/binance-and-ceo-plead-guilty-to-federal-charges-in-4-billion-resolution" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Binance turned a blind eye to its legal obligations in the pursuit of profit. Its willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform</a>.”<img src="https://academy-public.coinmarketcap.com/optimized-uploads/03b088e1d9014e9ca714a32a3a3924d9.jpeg" />Treasury Secretary Janet YellenThe <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-justice-dept-is-split-over-charging-binance-crypto-world-falters-sources-2022-12-12/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">investigation into Binance began in 2018</a>. In that period, CZ and his team were found to have repeatedly and knowingly violated these laws and attempted to cover them up. CZ directed employees to handle major American customers, which he called “VIPs” on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/technology/binance-changpeng-zhao-pleads-guilty.html?searchResultPosition&#61;1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Binance.com and to use encrypted communication methods with them</a>. In July 2020, a user was identified as one of the “top contributors to illicit activity,” but was then given instructions on how to re-join the platform.The settlement with the CFTC ends a case which began in March. The CFTC <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/27/business/binance-cftc-lawsuit.html?action&#61;click&amp;module&#61;RelatedLinks&amp;pgtype&#61;Article" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">accused Binance of operating illegally in the United States</a>, using a web of shell companies to evade compliance laws. CZ also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/27/business/binance-cftc-lawsuit.html?action&#61;click&amp;module&#61;RelatedLinks&amp;pgtype&#61;Article" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">knowingly allowed certain users to evade know-your-customer (KYC) requirements</a>.<img src="https://academy-public.coinmarketcap.com/optimized-uploads/00971177626c4a5fb8c932251356d839.webp" />Commodity Futures Trading CommissionIn June, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/business/sec-binance-charges.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Securities and Exchange Commission sued Binance alleging it was misusing customer funds</a> and siphoning to another company controlled by CZ called Merit Peak Limited. This allegation is strikingly similar to the FTX-Alameda scheme, which recently earned Sam Bankman-Fried a long prison sentence. Notably, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/technology/binance-changpeng-zhao-pleads-guilty.html?searchResultPosition&#61;1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">SEC was not a party to this settlement</a>, suggesting this case could still be open.<img src="https://academy-public.coinmarketcap.com/optimized-uploads/76993a0b907f435d93e3b112f4040c43.jpeg" />Sam Bankman-Fried was co-founder and ex-CEO of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX.CZ was the face of crypto for much of his tenure at Binance, through his <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/21/investing/binance-changpeng-zhao-treasury/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$23 billion fortune</a> and active <a href="https://twitter.com/cz_binance" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Twitter account</a>, where he frequently railed against FUD and even helped to <a href="https://pontem.network/posts/sbf-arrested-the-charges-and-aftermath-of-ftxs-collapse" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">instigate the collapse of FTX</a>. He positioned himself and Binance as the lawful counterparts to SBF and FTX.Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange, with $13 billion in 24-hour volume and $72 billion in asset according to <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/exchanges/binance/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CoinMarketCap</a>. Binance’s <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/exchanges/binance/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">BNB token fell 14%</a> following the news. Bitcoin and Ethereum did not appear to be moved significantly in the immediate aftermath.<h2 id="header-0">About Pontem</h2><a href="https://pontem.network/?utm_source&#61;blockzeit&amp;utm_medium&#61;media_article&amp;utm_campaign&#61;ai_crypto_panel" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Pontem</a> is a blockchain product studio building for Aptos, the L1 blockchain with sub-second finality and elite security. Pontem products include:<ul><li><a href="https://pontem.network/pontem-wallet?utm_source&#61;crypto_news_flash&amp;utm_medium&#61;media_article&amp;utm_campaign&#61;ai_expert" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Pontem Wallet</a>: the triple-audited wallet for Aptos with 300,000&#43; users</li><li>Liquidswap DEX: the most popular DEX on Aptos</li><li>PontemAI: an AI-powered crypto chatbot (coming soon)</li><li>Move Code Playground: the first browser code editor for Move</li></ul><a href="https://pontem.network/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Website</a><a href="https://twitter.com/PontemNetwork" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Twitter</a><a href="https://discord.com/invite/44QgPFHYqs" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Discord</a><a href="https://t.me/pontemnetworkchat" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Telegram</a>

In The News: Binance and CZ Pay Record Fines

Table of Contents

Pontem Lumio

Other articles published on Nov 24, 2023

Crypto Market Cap Soars: $1.5 Trillion Milestone Achieved, Bitcoin Sets New Record

CryptoRank Report Unveils Market Variance as Bitcoin Surpasses $37K

Saham Kripto Pilihan Jelang Akhir Tahun, Nomor 5 Terkait Bitcoin Mining

Gold Rush Global Group Pty Ltd Showcases Leadership in Financial Services with Emphasis on Crypto...

LandRocker Announces Upcoming Token Sale Starting November 27

Unlocking the Gaming Crypto Treasure Chest: Top Contenders in the Last Bull Run

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!