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Changpeng \u201cCZ\u201d Zhao, former CEO of Binance, has denied claims that he agreed to provide evidence against Tron founder Justin Sun as part of a plea deal with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).<\/p>\n
In an April 11 report<\/a>, The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed sources alleging that CZ had agreed to testify against Sun under the terms of his settlement with US prosecutors.<\/p>\n \u201cAs part of Zhao\u2019s plea deal, he agreed to give evidence on Sun to prosecutors,\u201d an \u201carrangement\u201d that \u201chasn\u2019t previously been reported,\u201d the WSJ report stated, citing sources familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n \u201cWSJ is really TRYING here. They seem to have forgotten who went to prison and who didn’t,\u201d Zhao wrote in an April 12 X post<\/a>. \u201cPeople who become gov witnesses don\u2019t go to prison. They are protected. I heard someone paid WSJ employees to smear me.\u201d<\/p>\n Source: Changpeng <\/em>Zhao<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n CZ was sentenced to four months in prison in April 2024<\/a> for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) violations. He walked free from federal prison on Sept. 27<\/a> as the wealthiest person to ever serve a US prison sentence, with a $60 billion net worth at the time.<\/p>\n In a separate April 11 post<\/a>, CZ claimed multiple individuals had warned him about the Journal\u2019s intentions to publish what he described as a \u201chit piece.\u201d<\/p>\n Source: <\/em>Justin Sun<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Sun said he was \u201cnot aware of the circulation rumors,\u201d calling CZ his \u201cmentor and close friend,\u201d Cointelegraph reported on April 11<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>Trump kills DeFi broker rule in major crypto win: Finance Redefined<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n CZ further speculated that the report could be linked to lobbying efforts against him and his former company. <\/p>\n \u201cI also heard some rumors about some players \u2018lobbying\u2019 against us again in the US,\u201d CZ said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cointelegraph has approached CZ for more details on the lobbying claims.<\/p>\n In November 2023, Zhao said that \u201cFTX sought regulatory \u2018crack down\u2019 on Binance to increase market share,\u201d citing a Federal Newswire report<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>New York bill proposes legalizing Bitcoin, crypto for state payments<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Zhao\u2019s comments come over a month after crypto donations raised influence concerns among industry participants.<\/p>\n Crypto firms spent over $134 million<\/a> on the 2024 US election<\/a>s in \u201cunchecked political spending,\u201d which presents some critical challenges, Cointelegraph reported on March 10.<\/p>\n Fairshake donations. Source: politicalaccountability.net<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cWhile the companies making these contributions may be seeking a favorable regulatory environment, these political donations further erode public trust and expose companies to legal, reputational, and business risks that cannot be ignored,\u201d according to a March 7 report<\/a> by the Center for Political Accountability (CPA).<\/p>\n\u201cSome players are lobbying against us again in the US\u201d \u2014\u00a0CZ<\/h2>\n