In April, Zhao Changpeng was sentenced to four months in prison for pleading guilty to money laundering charges, far less than the three-year sentence requested by federal prosecutors. Before the sentencing, Zhao Changpeng expressed to the judge his regret for failing to implement an adequate anti-money laundering program.

CNBC reported on June 2 that Zhao Changpeng had reported to a low-security federal prison in California, and his defense law firm (Latham & Watkins) confirmed the news. He is expected to be released from prison in October and return to the cryptocurrency industry. Why did the judge give Zhao Changpeng a lighter sentence? Prosecutors originally requested a 36-month sentence, but the judge only sentenced him to four months.

A detailed analysis of the trial documents shows that three key factors determined the sentence. First, Zhao Changpeng took the initiative to surrender and actively cooperated with the investigation throughout the process, showing respect for the law and a responsible attitude. He took the initiative to travel from the UAE to the United States for trial, a move that was widely recognized by the trial.

Zhao Changpeng's family environment is stable and he has minor children to support, which aroused the sympathy of the judge. Secondly, Binance, represented by Zhao Changpeng, agreed to pay a settlement of up to $4.3 billion, showing their awareness and sincerity of the actions they committed. This compensation is not only an apology for the crime, but also reflects a good attitude of cooperation with the government.

The 161 letters of recommendation supporting Zhao Changpeng came from important people and groups in many aspects, involving positive comments on his family, career and social reputation, which had an important impact on the judge. The judge personally read these letters carefully and was deeply moved.

Finally, when sentencing, the judge took into account Zhao Changpeng's good background of no criminal record in the past, and believed that he showed awareness of wrong behavior and attitude to correct it, which was another important factor for lenient punishment. Combining the above factors, the court finally made a decision of lenient punishment after weighing Zhao Changpeng's fault, confession attitude, compensation measures and social support.

This judgment not only focuses on the facts of the crime, but also comprehensively evaluates the defendant's overall performance and social evaluation. Today, there is media news that CZ will return within 4 weeks. There are 6 news reports in a row. The truth is still unknown, but there is no smoke without fire. Maybe he will be released early with good performance or after the operation of a professional lawyer team. CZ's return will definitely have a certain impact. The most important thing is that BNB may surge. Let's wait and see!