A U.S. District Judge in Seattle has slammed the brakes on Changpeng Zhao’s plans to head back to the UAE, keeping the former Binance CEO stateside until his February sentencing.
Judge Richard Jones flipped an earlier ruling that would’ve let Zhao jet off, siding instead with prosecutors who pushed to keep him grounded after his guilty plea to anti-money laundering and sanctions busting tied to Binance’s hefty $4.3 billion deal with the DOJ.
Zhao’s legal team tried to paint him as a safe bet last week, filing a motion arguing he’s no flight risk and pitching home confinement in the UAE. But the feds aren’t buying it. They’re worried Zhao—loaded with cash, tight with the UAE, and tough to extradite—might not stroll back for his court date.
That’s enough for Jones to say, “Not so fast,” keeping Zhao on U.S. soil as the clock ticks down to February. For the crypto kingpin, it’s a waiting game now, with no quick escape to Dubai in sight.
