Donald Trump has officially pardoned Binance’s founder, Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao, following extensive lobbying efforts from various supporters asserting his innocence regarding legal violations.

The pardon, indicated to be signed just recently, was confirmed by Binance in statements provided to Cointelegraph. At a subsequent news conference, Trump announced his decision, noting it was influenced heavily by public opinion, with many indicating that Zhao was undeserving of the charges against him.

“I don’t know him, I don’t believe I’ve ever met him, but I’ve been told he had a lot of support, and they said that what he did is not even a crime, it wasn’t a crime, he was persecuted by the Biden Administration.”
“Me han dicho que lo que hizo ni siquiera es un crimen.”

Zhao had previously served a four-month sentence after admitting guilt for breaching the US Bank Secrecy Act, particularly for not having a suitable anti-money laundering program at Binance.

His attorney, Teresa Goody Guillén, expressed that the pardon was a proper decision, emphasizing that her client was not guilty of any fraud and had no history of criminal activity.

“CZ is the first and only known first-time offender in US history to receive a prison sentence for this single, non-fraud-related charge.”
“CZ es el primer y único infractor conocido en la historia de EE. UU. que recibe una sentencia de prisión por este único cargo no relacionado con fraude.”

Following the pardon, Zhao indicated his gratitude and expressed intentions to contribute to making America a focal point for cryptocurrency and advancing Web3 globally. After stepping down as Binance’s CEO due to his plea agreement, the pardon might pave the way for his return to the company.