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Donald Trump Grants Presidential Pardon to Arthur Hayes and Three Former BitMEX Execs
March 29, 2025
President Donald Trump has granted pardons to the three co-founders of the prominent crypto exchange, BitMEX, and a fourth high-ranking employee. The pro-crypto president granted pardon to BitMEX co-founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed alongside Gregory Dwyer, the former head of business development, media outlet CNBC reported. The four BitMEX employees pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Bank Secrecy Act in 2020, each receiving different punishments.
However, Trump has exempted them from the repercussions of the criminal sentencing on Thursday, adding to the list of crypto-related pardons from the president. Notably, such clemency does not erase records of the wrongdoing but erases all corporate penalties tied to the pardoned offense.
BitMEX Employees Receive Pardon
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued Hayes, Delo, and Reed in October 2020 for operating BitMEX without due licensing from the regulator. Under their leadership, the exchange also failed to implement crucial requirements like Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) measures, allegedly making it a facilitator of criminal laundering activities.
The trio pleaded guilty to the case, and federal prosecutors ordered them to pay a combined $30 million in civil penalties. Furthermore, they sentenced Hayes to six months of house arrest and two years of probation, while Delo and Reed received 30 months and 18 months of probation, respectively. Meanwhile, the CFTC slammed Dwyer with a $150,000 fine and 18 months of probation. Subsequently, a federal court ordered BitMEX to pay a $100 million fine for the Bank Secrecy Act violation.
Thank You POTUS
The presidential pardon sparked reactions from the involved individuals, who expressed appreciation. Hayes took to X to applaud Trump’s forgiveness. “Thank you POTUS,” Hayes tweeted.
Thank you @POTUS — Arthur Hayes (@CryptoHayes) March 28, 2025
Moreover, Delo stated that the pardon vindicated the wrongful criminal indictment against him and other BitMEX founders. He insisted that Trump has righted a legal wrong done years ago from an obscure perspective.
Thursday reports also confirmed that Trump pardoned Trevor Milton, the founder of electric truck manufacturer Nikola, for his criminal charges of breaking securities law. The president had earlier acquitted Silk Road’s Ross Ulbricht, while parents of disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried are vying for a similar pardon.
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