Changpeng Zhao Officially Requests Pardon from Trump

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Changpeng Zhao Officially Requests Pardon from President Trump

Written by Aaron S.,

Editor-In-Chief

Last Updated: May 08, 2025

Key Takeaways

Changpeng "CZ" Zhao confirmed he asked President Donald Trump for a pardon after initially denying reports about it in March;
Zhao filed the pardon request a few weeks ago, motivated partly by Trump’s past pardons of the BitMEX founders;
A pardon would not erase Zhao’s 2023 conviction but could let him return to a leadership role at Binance.US.

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Changpeng Zhao Officially Requests Pardon from President Trump

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Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, who founded the cryptocurrency exchange Binance $10.61B and was later convicted of a crime, has confirmed he asked US President Donald Trump for a pardon.

Speaking on the Farokh Radio podcast aired on May 6, Zhao said he "wouldn't mind" receiving a pardon.

Zhao explained that while he had initially rejected claims made by Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal in March, he later decided it made sense to file an application. He said, "If they’re writing this article, I may as well just officially apply".

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He also noted that his lawyers submitted the paperwork on his behalf a couple of weeks before the podcast aired.

Zhao also mentioned that President Trump’s pardons for the three BitMEX founders, including Arthur Hayes, encouraged him to move forward with his own application.

The US Department of Justice has stated that even if a pardon is granted, it would not erase Zhao’s conviction. However, it could allow him to return to a leadership or operational role at Binance.US.

In November 2023, Zhao admitted guilt to a money laundering charge. The agreement required Binance to pay $4.3 billion in penalties. Zhao paid $50 million of this amount and agreed to step down as CEO.

Meanwhile, on April 28, the DeFi Education Fund, a crypto advocacy group, sent a letter to White House crypto adviser David Sacks. What did the letter say? Read the full story.