Andy Greenberg, author of "Tracers in the Dark," stated that U.S. leadership should be doing more to support Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance employee and former U.S. federal agent, including designating his case as a hostage situation. Greenberg shared his statement in a Sept. 4 post on X.
"Where is the the US @StateDept," said Greenberg. "Where is @SecBlinken? Where is @StateSPEHA Roger D. Carstens, for whom this case should have met the criteria to be treated as a hostage situation months ago? Why isn't the US doing more to help this American citizen and former civil servant?"
According to CoinDesk, Gambaryan was invited by Nigerian government officials to travel to Abuja in February to participate in compliance discussions. Nigerian authorities accused Binance of devaluing the naira and placed Gambaryan under house arrest. He was later charged with financial crimes and transferred to Kuje prison, where his health has declined. He contracted malaria in May and collapsed in court; in June, he was pushed into a courtroom in a wheelchair. His wife says he is at risk of "permanent damage" unless he receives proper medical treatment due to a herniated disc in his back.
Gambaryan's attorneys filed a new bail application seeking his release on medical grounds, but Nigerian authorities are opposing the application and denying that Gambaryan is suffering from health problems, The Block reported. A judge has ordered that Gambaryan be allowed to use a wheelchair. Binance has asked the U.S. government to secure Gambaryan's release on humanitarian grounds.
Sixteen members of Congress wrote a letter asking 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," according to the letter. "It is crucial to emphasize that the charges against Mr. Gambaryan are baseless and constitute a coercion tactic by the Nigerian government to extort his employer, Binance," they said. Rich McCormick, whose district encompasses Gambaryan's hometown of Suwanee, Georgia, was one of the signees.
In July, McCormick filed a resolution with the House Foreign Affairs Committee 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. Nigerian government officials "admitted openly in court that Tigran is being tried in lieu of pursuing legal action against his employer," according to the resolution. The resolution said the U.S. government should "formally declare Tigran Gambaryan as a 'U.S. citizen wrongfully detained by a foreign government'" and called on the Nigerian government to provide him with adequate medical care and ensure he receives due process.
Greenberg is an award-winning author known for detailing investigations into criminals using cryptocurrency for illicit purposes. His book, "Tracers in the Dark," is about Gambaryan.
