Criminal charges against Binance still being debated at Justice Department - report

Department of Justice prosecutors haven't yet agreed on whether they have enough evidence to file criminal charges against some Binance executives, including founder Changpeng Zhao, Reuters reported Monday, citing four people familiar with the matter. At least half a dozen prosecutors are involved with the investigation that started in 2018 and its centered on Binance's compliance with U.S. anti-money laundering laws and sanctions, the people told Reuters. Some of the prosecutors believe they already have enough evidence to file charges against individual executives, while others want to review more evidence. Defense attorneys for Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, have held meeting in recent months with Justice Department officials, and the talks included potential plea deals, three of the sources said, according to the article. The DOJ could decide to bring indictments against the company and its executives, negotiate a settlement, or close the investigation without taking any action. Regarding the DOJ investigation, a Binance spokesperson said, "it would be inappropriate for us to comment." As for the regulatory environment, in general, "As has been reported widely, regulators are doing a sweeping review of every crypto company against many of the same issues. This nascent industry has grown quickly and Binance has shown its commitment to security and compliance through large investments in our team as well as the tools and technology we use to detect and deter illicit activity ." In May 2021, Bloomberg reported that the DOJ and IRS were investigating Binance.