Rep. Rich McCormick said that Nigeria is jeopardizing its relationship with the United States due to the imprisonment of Tigran Gambaryan, a former federal agent and current head of financial crime compliance for the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. McCormick shared his statement in an October 1 podcast.
"We should be putting enormous leverage against Nigeria until they release him or at least turn him over to the consulate to be treated fairly," said Rich Mccormick, Congressman. "He's just being treated absolutely horribly, and he is an American citizen, and that should be taken very seriously by our government, and Nigeria needs to step up to the plate. When I talked to their ambassador, when I talk to their representatives, I was very strict and stern on this and said, 'Look, you guys are taking a huge chance and ruining your great relationship with the United States by the way you're treating one of our citizens unfairly.'"
According to CoinDesk, Gambaryan was invited by Nigerian government officials to Abuja in February to participate in compliance discussions. However, 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 reportedly declined. In May, he contracted malaria and collapsed in court; by June, he was brought into a courtroom in a wheelchair due to a herniated disc in his back. His wife has expressed concerns about his risk of "permanent damage" without proper medical treatment.
Gambaryan's wife, Yuki, said during the podcast episode that her husband "didn't do anything wrong, and he's suffering, and he needs to come home." She also expressed concerns that this situation could happen to anyone and believes the U.S. government needs to "take a stand so this would not happen to anybody else."
The Digital Chamber, a U.S. blockchain industry advocacy group, described Gambaryan's detention as "a distressing breach of international law," according to a post on its website. The Chamber further claimed that this act appears as "a state-sponsored kidnapping," noting that Gambaryan was invited to Nigeria "under false pretenses." The group warned that such imprisonment "under dubious circumstances sets a dangerous precedent," suggesting vulnerability for American businessmen abroad, particularly those in the cryptocurrency sector.
Gambaryan joined Binance in September 2021 after serving ten years as a special agent for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). During his career at the IRS, he investigated cases involving national security threats and led several significant cyber investigations.
McCormick is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran representing Georgia's 6th Congressional District. Before being elected to Congress, McCormick worked as an Emergency Room physician at Northside Hospital and is currently a member of several House committees including Armed Services and Foreign Affairs.
