As part of the latest twist in an investigation that began in 2018 and gained traction during the shocking FTX collapse, U.S. prosecutors are now considering charging Binance and its top executives with money laundering and sanctions violations. It is being suggested that Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao is among the executives who may be targeted. However, Department of Justice (DOJ) officials are divided on whether to proceed, as some want more time to review evidence before taking any drastic measures. According to different reports, multiple government agencies including both the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) are involved in the investigation. Various defense attorneys representing Binance have reportedly met with DOJ officials to discuss possible plea deals. Binance noted earlier this year that only 0.15% of all crypto transactions in 2021 were associated with some type of illicit activity. While this may offer some level of comfort to investors, nobody can deny that authorities are cracking down on cryptocurrency companies with increasing intensity, particularly in the aftermath of the Terra and FTX disasters.
