Leo Schwartz, author of the Fortune Crypto Proof of State newsletter, has expressed concern over the "non-response from the U.S. government" regarding the detention of U.S. citizen and Binance employee, Tigran Gambaryan, in Nigeria. Schwartz made these remarks in his April 4 newsletter.
"Perhaps more concerning is the non-response from the U.S. government," said Schwartz. "Binance, of course, is not the best friend of any U.S. politician or official, especially in the wake of November's criminal enforcement action. Even so, Gambaryan's spokesperson told me that his wife, Yuki, has reached out to the U.S. embassy, State Department, and senators and received what she described as 'limited engagement.' Another person working on the case, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said there has been 'zero movement' from the U.S. government."
According to Schwartz, Gambaryan is a notable figure in the field of crypto tracing who has been involved in several high-profile operations, including the takedown of Silk Road. He stated that Gambaryan and another Binance employee, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were invited to Nigeria by government officials in February to discuss the country's "ongoing currency crisis." However, both employees were detained in a guarded house. After a month in detention, Anjarwalla managed to escape while Gambaryan's conditions have reportedly worsened since then. Schwartz suggests that it has become apparent that "Gambaryan and Anjarwalla are pawns in the Nigerian government’s efforts to extract a massive fine from Binance." He added: "Whether Binance is guilty of tax evasion or currency manipulation is a separate matter—the pressing question here is whether Gambaryan is being held captive as a bargaining chip."
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria arraigned Gambaryan and Binance on April 8, according to an EFCC press release. The charges against Gambaryan include tax evasion, money laundering, and currency speculation; he pleaded not guilty to all charges. Justice Emeka Nwite ordered Gambaryan to be detained in Kuje Correctional Center and scheduled his bail hearing for April 18. In response to this decision, Gambaryan's counsel argued that his detention for more than 40 days was unlawful.
The Coin Bureau, an educational resource provider on blockchain technology, noted in a post that there has been no statement from the U.S. president about Gambaryan's situation. The Bureau highlighted that Gambaryan is "an American citizen and decorated IRS agent who worked for the US government on multi-billion dollar cases including the Mt. Gox hack & Silk Road."
In an April 4 post, Binance stated that it "respectfully requests that Tigran Gambaryan, who has no decision-making power in the company, is not held responsible while current discussions are ongoing between Binance and Nigerian government officials." According to this post, Gambaryan "is a strict law enforcement professional" whose team has responded to more than 600 information requests from Nigerian law enforcement since he joined the company in 2021.
Schwartz, according to his LinkedIn profile, researches the global impact of crypto. He has previously worked as a web editor for the North American Congress on Latin America and is an alumnus of Columbia University and New York University.
