U.S. Judge Denies Changpeng Zhao's Second Attempt to Travel Abroad
Jessie A Ellis Dec 31, 2023 08:06
Changpeng Zhao, former Binance CEO, is facing a travel ban in the U.S. due to flight risk concerns while awaiting sentencing for a felony charge.
During the course of his protracted legal struggle in the United States, Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, who formerly served as the CEO of Binance, has encountered a serious setback. In response to Zhao's second request to fly outside of the country, a federal judge named Richard Jones of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle declined to grant his request. This determination was made as a part of the processes that took place prior to the sentence hearing for Zhao.
When Judge Jones issued an earlier order on December 7, he mandated that Zhao stay in the United States. The judgment that was issued on December 29 followed that order. Concerns that Zhao, who pled guilty to one count of felony in a $4.3 billion arrangement between himself, Binance, and U.S. authorities, may be a flight risk are the basis for this limitation. Zhao signed the accord himself. His sentencing is scheduled to take place in February, and he may be subject to a maximum penalty of eighteen months in jail.
Due to the fact that the court has sealed the reasons for Zhao's second application to travel, they have not been made public since they have been kept confidential. On the other hand, it has been reported that the motion was about medical information concerning Mr. Zhao's child. It has been alleged that Zhao is the father of three children with Yi He, a former talk show personality and co-founder of Binance. These children are presently living in Dubai, which is also where Zhao maintains a residence. It is not possible for the general public to get information on the particular arguments and particulars of Zhao's case since the verdict is confidential.
Zhao continues to be free on a bail of $175 million despite his guilty plea; nevertheless, he is prohibited from traveling outside of the United States after the conviction. This circumstance is somewhat comparable to the issue that occurred with Alex Mashinsky, the former CEO of Celsius. Mashinsky was arrested for accusations linked to allegedly deceiving and scamming people, although he is now free on a bail of forty million dollars.
Image source: Shutterstock