Binance founder and worn CEO Changpeng Zhao penned a letter to the think overseeing his case sooner than his sentencing listening to on April 30, announcing he deeply regretted his picks and warranted the court docket that the costs he’s on trial for would be his “handiest encounter with the criminal justice machine.”

“I advise regret for my unfortunate choices and ranking elephantine accountability for my actions. In hindsight, I must include targeted on enforcing compliance adjustments at Binance from the get-crawl, and I did no longer,” stated Zhao within the letter to Resolve Richard Jones filed on Tuesday.

He went on to repeat that Binance has now applied the “most stringent anti-cash laundering controls of any non-US trade” and that they’ve been in insist since 2022.

Zhao’s letter to the think comes after prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice suggested that the Binance founder be sentenced to no longer much less than 36 months in penal complex.

“Zhao wager that he would no longer get caught, and that if he did, the implications would no longer be as severe because the crime,” stated the prosecutors in a memo to the think filed on the equal day.

“The sentence in this case will no longer appropriate ship a message to Zhao but furthermore to the field.”

Zhao’s lawyers include been hasty to answer with their include sentencing memo to the think announcing that no diversified defendants, tried below same conditions of violating the Financial institution Secrecy Act (BSA) had ever been sentenced to a term of imprisonment. They suggested that in its put Zhao be sentenced to probation, given his lack of criminal historical previous and acceptance of accountability.

Zhao has furthermore received overwhelming give a enhance to from family members, mates, industry leaders, and Binance workers within the originate of 161 letters of give a enhance to looking out for leniency from the think.

“This day, it’s miles his sense of accountability that makes him settle to face the trial, but he would possibly maybe maybe furthermore still below no conditions be regarded as the equal as execrable murderers, robbers, and frauds,” wrote He Yi, Binance cofounder and the mum of Zhao’s three formative years.