For the second time, a federal judge, Richard Jones of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, has rejected Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao’s plea to travel abroad while awaiting sentencing for criminal charges in the U.S. This decision comes after prosecutors raised concerns about the potential flight risk posed by the former Binance executive.
The undisclosed ruling filed on Friday did not provide detailed information on Zhao’s defense against the court’s repeated denials of his return to the UAE, where his three children and their mother are based. The former Binance CEO recently pleaded guilty to a Bank Secrecy Act violation, securing release on a $175 million personal recognizance bond along with other financial conditions.
