news.bitcoin.com
President Donald Trump pardoned Bitmex co-founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed on March 27, 2025, clearing their 2022 convictions for failing to prevent money laundering on their cryptocurrency platform.
Presidential Pardon Wipes Bitmex Founders’ Money Laundering Charge
Bitmex, a Seychelles-based crypto derivatives exchange launched in 2014, faced U.S. legal scrutiny in 2020 when prosecutors accused its founders of violating the Bank Secrecy Act. Authorities alleged that the platform operated without adequate anti-money laundering (AML) protocols, enabling anonymous trading that could facilitate illicit finance.
The founders pleaded guilty in 2022, post-Trump’s first term, to willfully neglecting AML requirements. Hayes and Delo received probation and six-figure fines, while Reed accepted similar terms. A fourth executive, Gregory Dwyer, was convicted but not included in Trump’s pardon.
The pardons, issued during Trump’s second term, eliminate the trio’s criminal records but do not reverse fines. No official explanation was provided, though the move aligns with Trump’s recent pro-crypto stance, including meetings with industry leaders and prior pardons for figures like Silk Road’s Ross Ulbricht. The pardon wave has also sparked speculation that Roger Ver—currently battling extradition to the U.S. over alleged tax violations—might benefit from a similar pardon
Hayes, Delo, and Reed have not publicly commented. The pardons’ timing—a day before Trump’s reported policy announcements—fuels debate over their implications for crypto regulation and presidential clemency norms.