Binance founder Changpeng Zhao released from prison after four months while Sam Bankman-Fried serves 25-year sentence

Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, is set to be released from prison after serving four months for failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. He is banned from managing Binance but retains a 90% ownership stake. Zhao's prison term was part of a larger settlement where Binance was fined $4.3 billion. He personally paid a $50 million fine, while his estimated net worth remains around $61 billion. In contrast, Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of FTX, is serving a 25-year sentence for fraud. Zhao's actions contributed to Bankman-Fried's downfall, which exposed significant fraud within the FTX empire.