This site (120btC.coM): Changpeng Zhao (CZ), founder of Binance Exchange, attended Seattle, USA at midnight on May 1st, Taiwan time (April 30th, US time) At the sentencing hearing in the District Court, after several hours of trial, Judge Charlie Jones (Richard Jones) finally sentenced him to 4 months in prison, which was far lower than the previous request of the Ministry of Justice (the prosecutor requested a 36-month sentence).
According to the latest news from CNBC this morning, Changpeng Zhao has reported to a lower-security federal prison in California, and his defense law firm (Latham & Watkins) also confirmed the news. In other words, it is expected that CZ will be released from prison in October this year and start a new life.
Why did the judge give a lighter sentence?
Originally the prosecutor requested a 36-month sentence, but why did the judge only sentence him to four months? According to a detailed analysis of court documents posted on social media, three key factors played a decisive role in the verdict.
Compensation amount and active cooperation
First of all, CZ’s voluntary surrender is one of the main reasons for his light sentence. It needs special mention that CZ came from the United Arab Emirates, a country without extradition regulations. , voluntarily went to the United States to face trial. This behavior was emphasized many times by the defense lawyer during the trial and was mentioned many times in 161 letters of support, demonstrating his responsible attitude and respect for American law. His attitude was "Cooperate! Cooperate! Cooperate." !".
In addition, CZ is relatively low-key about his personal life. He actually has a son who is in college, and at the sentencing hearing, his son was sitting next to his mother and nephew. This is a family scene , portraying his image as a "family man and family man" in court.
Secondly, the one-time compensation of up to US$4.3 billion that Binance represented by CZ agreed to pay was also a key factor in his ability to quickly reach a settlement and obtain a light sentence. The compensation is not only an admission of its crimes, but also a demonstration of its willingness to "comprehensive and good cooperation" with the US government.
Magical letters of support
In addition, the influence of letters of support cannot be underestimated. Many of these 161 letters come from important groups and individuals in the United States who hope to cooperate with him, including representatives of the Emirati family and elites from all walks of life in the United States. These letters not only supported CZ, but also emphasized his good attitude in terms of family, career and credibility, which had an important impact on the judge's decision.
At the trial, Judge Jones expressed his deep impression at the large number of letters supporting CZ. He said he spent a weekend poring over the letters from friends and family until the folder containing them cracked from repeated flipping. The judge said: "I have never seen so many letters that equally describe a passionate but flawed defendant.
No criminal history
In addition, during the sentencing process, CZ’s body language also aroused discussion. During the trial, whenever the judge mentioned CZ’s inappropriate behavior, he would lean forward and Nodding, this action fully shows that he understands his behavior. This is completely different from the case of SBF. According to the judge, SBF's various actions showed that he had "no regrets" for the actions he committed.
A clean record and a history of cooperation with the government also gave CZ a lot of points. Defense attorney William Burke pointed out that CZ had "no criminal history, no fraud, and no other crimes." This had a negative impact on the judge's sentence. had an important impact.
After considering the above factors, the judge chose to give CZ a light sentence. This also reflects that when evaluating the defendant’s behavior and background, the court not only considers his fault, but also considers his efforts to actively correct himself and society’s response. Backed by its positive reviews.
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