The former CEO of Binance US said that he has appointed a former federal prosecutor and a senior police officer at the CFTC to represent him in the US government's investigations into Binance, Reuters reported.
US Government Sets With Former Attorney Against Binance
The informant said that Catherine Coley, who founded Binance.US in 2019 and left abruptly two years later, is currently advising the US government by James McDonald, a partner at New York law firm Sullivan & Cromwell.
On Monday, the CFTC accused Binance and its CEO and founder, Changpeng Zhao, of deliberately evading US law because they ran an "illegal" exchange and a "fake" compliance program. The CFTC's civil complaint did not name Coley.
The Justice Department is also investigating Binance for money laundering and enforcement violations.
Reuters was unable to determine Coley's status in government investigations or whether he was cooperating.
As Reuters previously reported, the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission had requested records and communications from Binance and Binance.US regarding Coley.
McDonald declined to comment. Coley has not made any public comments or addressed his exit since leaving Binance.US.
The CFTC, DOJ, and SEC declined to comment. Binance and Binance.US, contacted by Reuters, did not comment on Coley's representation.
McDonald left the CFTC in 2020. During his time as director of enforcement, the CFTC increasingly worked on investigations in parallel with federal prosecutors. Prior to joining the CFTC, McDonald worked for the Manhattan US Attorney's Office's public corruption unit.
*Not investment advice.