After Trump pardoned CZ, Binance is facing a $1 billion lawsuit again

According to Beincrypto, over 300 victims and family members of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel have filed a lawsuit against Binance and its founder Changpeng Zhao in the federal court of North Dakota under the Anti-Terrorism Act, accusing them of intentionally assisting terrorist organizations in cryptocurrency transactions.

The 284-page complaint states that Binance processed over $1 billion in transactions for Hamas, Hezbollah, and other U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, continuing to provide services despite knowing the accounts were controlled by these organizations. The complaint details multiple terror-related digital wallets, including a case involving a Venezuelan gold smuggling network: a 26-year-old woman received $177 million in cryptocurrency and withdrew $43 million in cash to fund terrorist activities.

This case comes less than two years after Binance pleaded guilty in 2023 and paid a $4.3 billion fine, and it is also the first month after Zhao received a pardon from Trump. Under the Anti-Terrorism Act, if found to have assisted international terrorism, Binance could face triple punitive damages.

In February, a federal judge in New York ruled that the plaintiffs reasonably alleged that Binance intentionally and substantially assisted the attack. Binance is currently facing four related lawsuits in the U.S.