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Nov 17, 2025His comments follow a presidential pardon that triggered political backlash from Democratic lawmakers.
Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao says he would reinvest any potential refund of Binance’s $4.3 billion settlement with the US Department of Justice back into the United States.
The comment came after author and crypto commentator Anndy Lian publicly asked whether CZ expected the US government to return the multibillion-dollar penalty following his presidential pardon.
CZ Says Any Refund of DOJ Fine Would Be Reinvested in the US
Addressing the issue directly, CZ said any refunded amount would be put to work inside the United States.
“If we get any refund, we will be investing that in America anyway, to show our appreciation,” he said, adding that he has not yet asked for one.
Zhao pleaded guilty in November 2023 to failing to maintain an effective Anti-Money Laundering program at Binance, a violation of the Bank Secrecy Act. He was sentenced to four months in prison in April 2024.
CZ’s Lawyer Rejects Corruption Claims
As reported, CZ’s attorney, Teresa Goody Guillén, has pushed back against allegations that the former Binance CEO’s presidential pardon was influenced by improper financial ties, calling recent media reports “false statements” based on fundamental misunderstandings of blockchain technology.
She emphasized that the case involved no victims or fraud and attributed the prosecution to the previous administration’s broader “war on crypto” following the fallout from FTX.
Addressing claims of corruption, Guillén dismissed connections between Binance and Trump-backed World Liberty Financial as misinterpretations of normal blockchain activity.
Critics had cited USD1, a stablecoin operating on Binance Smart Chain, and a $2 billion investment settlement involving the token as evidence of quid pro quo.
Sources >> Former Binance CEO CZ Vows to Reinvest Any Future Refund of $4.3B DOJ Fine Into the US