Ryan Sean Adams, general partner of Bankless Ventures, stated that the White House remains "still silent" on the imprisonment of Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent and current Binance employee, by the Nigerian government. Adams shared his statement in an Aug. 13 post on X.

"They lured this crypto executive to Nigeria then put him in jail under conditions that may render him permanently handicapped," said Adams. "The White House still silent. Tigran is a U.S. Citizen & former federal agent. His last video is heartbreaking."

According to Gambaryan's wife Yuki, in a change.org petition, Gambaryan sent her a video on March 23 before he was transferred from house arrest to prison and his phone was confiscated. In the video, Gambaryan said, "Hello my name is Tigran Gambaryan and I am the head of financial crime compliance for Binance. I’ve been detained by the Nigerian Government for a month. I don’t know what is going to happen to me after today...The only thing I ask is – guys I’ve done nothing wrong. 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 need your help guys, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get out of this without your help. Please help. Today is March 23rd. Thank you."

Gambaryan's Congressman, Rich McCormick (R-GA), filed a resolution with the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee in July urging the Nigerian government to release Gambaryan. According to the resolution, Gambaryan spent more than 10 years working as a special agent for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before joining Binance. The Nigerian government invited Gambaryan to participate in compliance discussions; however, these meetings became "hostile," leading to his detention on Feb. 26. He was later charged with crimes including tax evasion and money laundering and transferred to Kuje Prison, "which is known for its harsh conditions." Nigerian government officials "admitted openly in court that Tigran is being tried in lieu of pursuing legal action against his employer." His health has deteriorated in prison without adequate medical attention.

McCormick was one of sixteen members of Congress who wrote a letter on June 4 calling on President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens to classify Gambaryan as a "U.S. Citizen wrongfully detained by a foreign government" and escalate his case to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. They said Gambaryan's detention "has been marked by excessive and harsh treatment." The lawmakers emphasized that "the charges against Mr. Gambaryan are baseless and constitute a coercion tactic by the Nigerian government to extort his employer, Binance."

Gambaryan's wife reported that he is now being denied adequate access to his legal team and hasn't been able to speak to his lawyers since July 26, CoinDesk reported. His family stated that his "health is deteriorating rapidly," adding that he is now bedridden due to suffering from a herniated disc and multiple throat infections as well as pneumonia at Kuje Prison which necessitates further surgery.

Adams became a general partner of Bankless Ventures in March 2023, according to LinkedIn records. He is also the founder of investment firm Mythos Capital and previously served as vice president of sales at startup Meddius.