DOJ Seeks Over $4 Billion From Binance to Resolve Criminal Investigation

The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking more than $4 billion to resolve a five-year investigation into whether the crypto exchange Binance violated anti-money laundering sanctions, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

The talks between the DOJ and Binance include the possibility of criminal charges against Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, according to the report. Zhao, who is also majority owner of the global crypto exchange, is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which does have a formal extradition treaty with the U.S., which could make it hard for prosecutors to try Zhao in court. A decision could come by next week, Bloomberg reported. Spokespeople for Binance and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Binance has been under investigation by the Department of Justice since 2018. Several top executives including former General Counsel Hon Ng, Chief Strategy Officer Patrick Hillman and Senior Vice President for Compliance Steven Christie have departed the crypto exchange this year. Fortune reported that the exits were due to Zhao’s response to the ongoing investigation. Binance also faces lawsuits from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commision.