Binance slapped with $4B fine, accepts plea deal forcing CEO to resign
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/11/binance-ceo-changpeng-zhao-admits-to-money-laundering-in-plea-deal/
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao has resigned as CEO of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange after agreeing to plead guilty to money laundering violations, the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.
The DOJ's settlement concludes a three-year investigation into Binance that found "willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform," Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen wrote in a statement. According to the plea agreement, Zhao will pay a $50 million fine, and Binance—which also pled guilty to conspiring to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business and violating sanctions against Iran, Cuba, and Syria—will pay a $4.3 billion fine.