Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent and currently the head of financial crime compliance at a global cryptocurrency exchange, has appealed to the U.S. government for assistance in leaving Nigeria. He expressed uncertainty about his ability to leave without their support. This plea was made public through a video statement shared in an April 9 change.org petition initiated after Gambaryan became entangled in what his attorney refers to as a "state-sanctioned hostage-taking" in Nigeria.
"I've done nothing wrong," said Gambaryan. "I've been a cop my whole life. I just ask the Nigerian Government to let me go, and I ask the United States Government to assist me. I don't know if I'll be able to get out of this without your help."
According to the petition, Gambaryan's wife, Yuki, stated that he left their family home in Suwanee, Georgia on February 25. This followed an invitation from Nigerian government officials for him to attend "policy meetings on behalf of his employer." However, after one day of meetings, Gambaryan was taken to a secure compound controlled by the Nigerian government and his passport was seized. Initially detained without charges, he is now facing tax-related accusations. Yuki said that her husband has dedicated his career to working with law enforcement agencies to apprehend criminals. "His efforts have brought down some of history’s most notorious cyber criminals, including drug dealers, human-traffickers, and money launderers," she said. After serving in the U.S. federal government, Gambaryan joined Binance with the aim of making crypto safer and rectifying past compliance issues. In this role, he had previously collaborated with Nigerian law enforcement agencies by providing training on combating cybercrime. "It is deeply ironic that he is being charged with the crimes he spent his life fighting," Yuki added.
In the same petition, Yuki expressed frustration at the lack of progress made by the U.S. government in securing her husband's return home. She stated that family and friends have been urging the government to intensify efforts to bring back an innocent American citizen.
The U.S.-Nigeria relationship is described on the U.S. State Department website as one built on shared interests and values, with a partnership that spans over six decades. The U.S. contributed nearly $1.2 billion in foreign assistance resources to Nigeria in the 2022 fiscal year. Nigeria is the second-largest African trading partner with the U.S. "The United States is proud to be one of the largest foreign investors in Nigeria with foreign direct investment totaling $5.6 billion in 2022," according to the website.
Mark Mordi, Gambaryan's attorney, was quoted by DL News last week during court proceedings as saying, "This is purely state-sanctioned hostage-taking." He alleged that Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is using Gambaryan as leverage to extract a penalty from Binance. Gambaryan has been brought to court multiple times over the past two months, but his bail hearing has been repeatedly postponed. The hearing is now scheduled for May 17.
Gambaryan served as a U.S. federal agent for ten years, according to a post from Binance. As part of the U.S. Treasury Department’s IRS Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) unit, he led several multi-billion dollar investigations, including those related to Silk Road corruption. After joining Binance in 2021, Gambaryan's team has assisted law enforcement agencies globally in freezing and seizing more than $2.2 billion worth of assets linked to illicit activities.
