Trump Reportedly Pardoned Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed, the Three Co-founders of BitMEX

This move comes after the three men pleaded guilty to charges related to money laundering and violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.

President Donald Trump reportedly issued pardons to Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed, the three co-founders of cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX.

Also Read: After January 6 Rioters, Trump Reportedly Pledges Pardon for Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht

This move comes after the three men pleaded guilty to charges related to money laundering and violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.

According to a March 28 report by CNBC, Trump granted the pardons. However, the White House had not yet confirmed the decision. This follows a trend of controversial pardons granted by Trump, which also included pardons for people involved in the January 6 Capitol riot and Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road.

Legal History of BitMEX Co-Founders

In February 2022, Arthur Hayes and Benjamin Delo pleaded guilty to failing to establish proper Anti-Money Laundering (AML) programs at BitMEX, in violation of U.S. financial regulations. Samuel Reed followed shortly after, also admitting his role in the legal violations.

The legal troubles arose from accusations that the exchange allowed users to engage in transactions without proper oversight, breaching U.S. laws designed to prevent money laundering. These actions resulted in federal charges and scrutiny from U.S. authorities, ultimately leading to guilty pleas from the three men.

Financial Penalties and Civil Cases

As part of the settlement with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Hayes, Delo, and Reed were ordered to pay $30 million in penalties. This was part of a broader legal resolution where BitMEX and its parent company, HDR Global Trading Limited, settled to pay $100 million in 2021 as part of an agreement with the CFTC and the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Furthermore, the CFTC and U.S. authorities imposed additional financial burdens on HDR Global Trading. In January 2023, a judge imposed a $100 million fine on the company, along with two years of unsupervised probation.

Trump’s Pardon Raises Questions

The rationale behind Trump’s pardon is not clear yet. At the time of the report’s publication, the White House had not issued a statement about it. This decision is part of a broader pattern of pardons for high-profile figures who are facing legal challenges. However, the BitMEX case is noteworthy due to its connection to a major cryptocurrency exchange.

This case implicates leaders of BitMEX who were facing serious legal consequences in the U.S. The legal issues encountered by BitMEX highlight the broader difficulties that cryptocurrency exchanges face when attempting to comply with U.S. financial regulations. While the company continued its operations after the legal proceedings, its founders’ legal troubles have had a significant impact on the exchange’s reputation. Moreover, the financial penalties imposed on the company further complicate the situation.