Binance founder Changpeng Zhao revealed he officially put in a request for a presidential pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump for his money laundering conviction.
In an interview with Farokh Radio on May 6, Changpeng revealed his lawyers had officially applied for the pardon two weeks before. Changpeng also said that initial reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal in March that he was seeking a pardon were a key factor in making an official filing for one. He denied the reports at the time.
Changpeng Zhao faced money laundering charges in 2023 during his tenure as Binance CEO, for which he served a four-month prison sentence. Binance faced a $4.3 billion fine in the legal fallout.
He stepped down at the time, handing over the leadership position to Richard Teng, who, prior to the appointment, was heading the Singaporean arm of the business. In other roles, Richard Teng was previously the CEO of Abu Dhabi Global Market and a board director of Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Financial Group.
The former CEO of Binance now plays a key role as an advisor to Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan interested in developing a crypto sector for their economies.
Since his election as U.S. President, Donald Trump has granted 39 pardons and 4 commutations according to the U.S. Department of Justice. On the 27th of March, 2025, Trump pardoned Bitmex co-founders Arthur Hayes, Samuel Reed, and Benjamin Delo for violating the Bank Secrecy Act.