The new round of accusations has once again thrust Changpeng Zhao into the eye of the global storm.

The following is all the publicly known information about this situation. The latest claim originates from a post by DefiWimar on X, which cites a recent Financial Times report. According to the post, Changpeng Zhao is now accused of "helping to funnel funds to Hamas," a statement that immediately raised concerns about another market shock. The post includes an image of the Financial Times article and a direct link confirming a new civil lawsuit has been filed in a U.S. federal court. According to the Financial Times, the plaintiffs are families of victims of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. They accuse Changpeng Zhao and Binance of facilitating payments to support the attack and are seeking damages under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Importantly, this is a civil lawsuit, not a new criminal charge. Civil lawsuits have a lower burden of proof, focus on damages, and are independent of any presidential pardon. This distinction is crucial because Changpeng Zhao received a pardon from President Donald Trump on October 23, 2025, for his previous federal conviction for violating anti-money laundering regulations. However, a pardon only absolves him of criminal penalties and does not prevent privately filed civil lawsuits. The context of this case is critical. This is not the first time Binance and Changpeng Zhao have faced allegations of facilitating the flow of funds related to sanctioned or terrorist organizations. In November 2023, Binance and Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to multiple major federal charges in the United States. At the time, prosecutors and regulators stated that Binance violated anti-money laundering regulations, operated without a proper license, and processed transactions involving Iran, ISIS, Hamas, and other high-risk entities. The settlement, totaling $4.3 billion, was one of the largest fines in U.S. history for such violations. As part of the plea agreement, Changpeng Zhao resigned as CEO and began serving a four-month federal prison sentence in April 2024. In February 2024, another civil lawsuit against Binance (initially not directly against Changpeng Zhao) was filed by the families of the victims and hostages of the October 7 attacks. The lawsuit accuses Binance of acting as a source of funds for Hamas between 2017 and 2023 due to its failure to implement proper controls and allowing transactions that should have been flagged or blocked. This earlier lawsuit forms part of a broader pattern that has resurfaced in this new lawsuit. However, this new lawsuit directly targets Changpeng Zhao, and comes after his return to the public eye following a pardon. The lawsuit claims that Binance's long-standing compliance issues, coupled with Zhao's personal leadership decisions, directly facilitated the flow of funds related to Hamas. Although this is a civil lawsuit rather than a criminal one, it still carries reputational risks and potential financial losses. A civil lawsuit requires proof that Zhao and Binance provided "material assistance" or "knowingly facilitated" harmful activities, even without evidence of their intention to support terrorism. As of now, neither Changpeng Zhao nor Binance has issued a public response. The case is still in its early stages and has been filed in a US federal court, similar to previous legal proceedings. Whether this matter will have a substantial impact on Changpeng Zhao's legal situation remains unclear, but its impact on his personal reputation, the Binance brand, and broader market trust could be significant. Overall, this pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Binance and Changpeng Zhao have documented violations and have admitted to these violations in their official plea agreements. Regulators have previously stated that Binance lacked appropriate controls, allowing funds linked to sanctioned organizations and terrorist groups to flow through the platform. Whether these new allegations will be adequately proven in court remains to be seen. The recurring accusations, supported by serious plaintiffs and mainstream media, highlight the lingering shadow of Changpeng Zhao's leadership. This new lawsuit is not isolated. It reflects the increasing global pressure Binance faces, and how Zhao's regulatory misconduct continues to plague him even after his pardon. The unsolved mystery lies not only in whether Zhao facilitated illicit financial flows, but also in whether the entire system he built made such flows predictable, preventable, and ultimately harmful. Currently, the crypto world is once again focused on another high-risk chapter in this protracted drama involving Changpeng Zhao.