Changpeng Zhao, the former chief executive officer of Binance, has pushed back against some damning accusations that were leveled against him by BlockTower founder Ari Paul, claiming that he was not charged with money laundering or fraud.
He has also added that all of the customers’ assets were completely safe. “Multiple agencies have looked very closely at this,” he noted.
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that CZ had agreed to give evidence against Tron founder Justin Sun as part of his plea deal with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).
In response to the report, CZ accused WSJ employees of getting paid to smear him. He claims that people who get witness protection do not go to prison. Last year, the former Binance boss served months behind bars at a low-security correctional institution in Lompoc, California.
Sun has stated that he was “not aware” of the recent “rumor.” In his social media post, the Tron founder has heaped praise on CZ, describing him as his “mentor” and “close friend.”
“DOJ wanted your dirt on everyone”
However, Paul pushed back against CZ’s claims, accusing him of lying. He claims that Zhao did not get more than 25 years behind bars for money laundering and terrorism financing charges and stealing customer assets because the DOJ wanted his “dirt on everyone else in crypto.”
“The gov valued that dirt on the industry more than an extra 20 years in prison for CZ,” Paul said.
In fact, Paul claims that the WSJ is “drastically underreporting” what the former Binance CEO gave to the government.
The most regulated person in the world
However, CZ claims that Paul is confusing anti-money laundering with money laundering. “One is a failure to prevent/police. One is doing it yourself. Two very different things,” he said. Moreover, he has added that Paul is trying to make up non-existent fraud charges.
“…I am probably the most regulated person on the planet now,” CZ added.
