Binance Founder CZ Hits Back at 'Smear' Allegations He Gave Evidence Against Justin Sun in Plea Deal Citing unnamed sources, WSJ reported Friday that CZ committed to testifying against Sun in exchange for leniency. $BNB
Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, who goes by CZ, and Tron founder Justin Sun strongly denied a Wall Street Journal report claiming Zhao agreed to provide evidence against Sun as part of his 2023 plea deal with U.S. authorities.
Citing unnamed sources, the Journal reported Friday that Zhao, who served four months in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering violations, had committed to testifying against Sun in exchange for leniency.
A day before the WSJ article was published, Zhao posted about how a certain “baseless hit piece” about him was in the works.
Multiple people have told me again WSJ is writing another baseless hit piece about me. 4 😂
"WSJ is really TRYING here. They seem to have forgotten who went to prison and who didn't. People who become gov witnesses don't go to prison," Zhao tweeted Saturday, suggesting someone "paid WSJ employees” to “smear” him.
Sun, who faces separate SEC charges, echoed the denial. Sun called Zhao his mentor and “close friend,” and acknowledged how Zhao has "played a crucial role” in his “entrepreneurial journey.”
The WSJ piece appeared amid reports that Binance executives met with U.S. Treasury officials last month to discuss removing a U.S. monitor overseeing the exchange's compliance with anti-money-laundering laws.
Heads or tails
Binance has reportedly engaged in talks to list USD1, a stablecoin minted by World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance venture backed by President Trump's family, where Sun is an investor.
